As Himachal Pradesh faced the wrath of nature and its severe aftermath, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu reported that more than 50,000 tourists had been evacuated by rescue teams from all corners of the state. The Chief Minister expressed appreciation for the officials from various state departments who were actively engaged in the ongoing rescue and evacuation operations.
In a tweet, CM Sukhu stated, “In the past 48 hours until 8 PM today, we have successfully evacuated over 50,000 tourists from Himachal Pradesh. I extend my gratitude to our administration and staff from different departments who are tirelessly working around the clock to restore our roads, power, water supply, and network connectivity.”
IPS Satwant Atwal took to Twitter to provide updates, confirming the safe transfer of six Israeli tourists to the town of Manikaran, with another 37 reported to be safe and in good health in Barshaini. The IPS also informed that approximately 95 individuals, including a foreign national, had been rescued and brought to safety in the Sangla, Chhitkul, and Raksham areas of the state.
The Himachal government stated that the state was slowly returning to normalcy, despite heavy rainfall, and the evacuation process was still underway. Onkar Chand Sharma, the principal secretary of Revenue and Disaster Management, mentioned that phone and internet connectivity had been restored in various parts of the state, and the electricity situation had improved. Several link roads had also been opened to facilitate the ongoing evacuation efforts.
Earlier, CM Sukhu emphasized that nearly 50% of the stranded tourists had been successfully evacuated from the flood-affected regions. He reiterated that the government’s primary focus was to ensure the safe evacuation of all stranded tourists. The restoration of electricity, power, and water supply would be prioritized afterward. Sukhu conducted an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas and reassured the public that the government was making every effort to restore road transport and power supply as quickly as possible.
Due to the incessant rainfall and road damage, the Himachal Pradesh Public Service Competitive (Preliminary) Examination, originally scheduled for July 23, has been rescheduled to August 20. The Disaster Management Authority shared data indicating the extensive impact of the rain, including the closure of over 1,000 roads, disruption of nearly 2,000 electricity schemes, and impairment of 1,200 water supply projects in the state. Additionally, the torrential rainfall caused flash floods and landslides, resulting in significant damage to life and property in Manali.
