Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, September 1
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said that continuous rainfall has caused widespread destruction across the state, with five more people losing their lives since last night. While four people died in Shimla and one in Rajgarh in Sirmaur district. The Chief Minister said water supply schemes, roads and power projects had been badly hit. However, he noted that compared with 2023, the death toll so far is lower.
Sukhu, who returned to Shimla after visiting flood-affected areas of Chamba, said road clearance work in the district was being carried out on a “war footing”. He spoke to Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi through satellite phone on Sunday morning and confirmed that relief and rehabilitation operations would be scaled up once the rains ease.
He added that the recovery of bodies was proving difficult due to ongoing downpours, but said the government was committed to resuming restoration as soon as conditions improved. Revenue Minister Negi has been stationed in Chamba for four days monitoring the situation.
The Chief Minister accused the opposition of playing politics during the disaster and renewed his call for a special relief package from the central government. He also said he was willing to approach Delhi jointly with opposition leaders to ensure affected families receive support.
Sukhu stressed that it was vital to study the causes of such disasters and announced plans to hold discussions with the Science and Technology Ministry to develop a long-term strategy to deal with future emergencies.
