Over 50 stranded people rescued, bridge connecting Baddi-Pinjore washed away

Shimla: More than 50 people were stranded in Mandi district following a cloudburst and have been rescued by the National Disaster Response Force, officials said on Friday.

The cloudburst took place in Shehnu Gouni village on Thursday and also triggered a landslide that blocked roads at several places.

A team of the NDRF travelled 15 km on foot to rescue the stranded people, including 15 children, and shift them to safe places, officials said.

In another rain-related incident, the Maranwala bridge in Baddi connecting the industrial Baddi area and Pinjore collapsed on Friday following a heavy flow of water in the Balad River due to recent rains.

No loss of life was reported in the incident, officials said.

"The Maranwala Bridge has been washed away and traffic has been diverted through Kalka-Kalujhanda-Barotiwala road," Superintendent of Police (SP), Baddi, Mohit Chawala told PTI.

"We have also written to the SP Mohali, SP Roopnagar (Punjab) and DCP Panchkula to stop the entry of heavy vehicles from Chandigarh to Baddi via Siswan and Marranwala to Siswan during peak hours from 7.30 am to 10.20 am and 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm. Bridges in Baddi have been damaged due to rains and traffic is being regulated through alternate routes," he added.

A woman went missing after the vehicle she was travelling in was swept away at Tipra Nullah in Barotiwala area of Baddi on Thursday night. The man driving the car -- her husband -- managed to save their granddaughter, police said, adding that a search operation is underway to trace the woman.

So far, 246 people have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of monsoon in the state on June 24 till August 24 and the Public Works Department (PWD) alone has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 2,829 crores.

With 729 roads blocked due to landslides triggered by heavy rains, the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) has suspended its services on 1,178 of the 3,804 routes with 158 busses stuck en route to different destinations, officials said on Friday.

Light rains lashed some parts of the state on Friday.

Meanwhile, chairing the 20th meeting of the HP State Executive Committee (SEC) here on Friday, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena focused on plans to examine the vulnerability of different parts of the state to different forms of disasters and specify measures to be taken for their prevention or mitigation.

He emphasised that disaster vulnerabilities of the state must be thoroughly assessed and a permanent scientific solution must be chalked out for flood protection, landslides, earthquakes and other vulnerabilities.

The need for earthquake retrofitting of selective critical infrastructure, government schools and community health centres of the state by launching a pilot project in some districts was also discussed in the meeting.

The chief secretary stressed raising the strength of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and equipping it with state-of-the-art technology. He said as police forces are the first responders, they must be trained for prompt and effective response.