Evacuation of stranded tourists from Chandertal a herculean task: Himachal CM Sukhu

Shimla/Kullu: Although the evacuation efforts and road opening work have gained pace, thousands of tourists are still stuck at various places in rain-battered Himachal Pradesh, according to reports. With over 850 roads still blocked, a large number of tourists have extended their stay in accommodations where they are residing or waiting for the situation to get better.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday called the evacuation of stranded tourists from Chandertal in Lahaul and Spiti a "challenging task". "We have sent a minister and Chief Parliament Secretary Sanjay Avasthi to Chandertal to take stock of the situation," he said after taking an aerial survey of Losar and Chandertal areas. He said state minister Jagat Singh Negi from Tribal Kinnaur district, who is acquainted with the harsh topography and tribal calamities, along with Avasthi will assist the rescue efforts in Chandertal.

"They would reach Chandertal by Wednesday night," Sukhu added. About 300 people, mostly tourists, were stranded in Chandertal since Saturday and seven sick people, including two elders and a girl, were airlifted from Chandertal to Bhunter on Tuesday. Meanwhile, road rescue teams are clearing the snow enroute Chandertal. Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kaza, Rahul Jain, who is leading the rescue party, said the road near Kunzum pass is covered under three to four feet of snow and the road restoration operation is going on in full swing.

"Over 2,000 stranded individuals in Kasol have been successfully evacuated as of now. Our teams are working tirelessly to clear the Dunkhara landslide on the Kasol-Bhuntar road. District administration is on-site coordinating relief efforts. 2200+ vehicles have safely passed through Kullu, receiving food support at Ramshilla Chowk. I personally oversee the situation and remain committed to overcoming these challenges. Stay strong, Himachal Pradesh!," the chief minister tweeted earlier in the day. "The tourist vehicles that were stranded in Lahaul were also evacuated at night. Over 300 tourist vehicles left for their respective destinations," he said in another tweet.

The Kullu Manali road was opened Tuesday evening and about 2,200 vehicles crossed Kullu. There was no mobile signal in several areas in Manali and its suburbs for the past two days and the tourists were unable to contact their families, officials said. ASP (Kullu) Ashish Sharma said a check post has been installed where the police are collecting details of the (stranded) people and sharing them on our Facebook page. Relief materials are also being provided to them, and food and drinking water is being made available at Ramshilla Chowk, he said. A large number of tourists are stuck in various parts of Kullu and Lahaul following landslides and flash floods leading to blocking of roads.

They were being lodged in hotels, rest houses, home stays and other holiday destinations. Several hotels and tourism units offered free stay and food to the stranded tourists, and shared the addresses and contact numbers of their hotels on social networking sites. The holiday, however, came as a nightmare for most of the tourists. "We had limited cash, the mobile connectivity and electricity was snapped, ATMs were not working and hoteliers were adamant on payment. We told them that our relatives would pay online, but they said it cannot be done as there is no mobile connectivity," said a tourist from Baroda. A total of 873 roads are still blocked for vehicular traffic and 1,956 transformers and 1,369 water supply schemes are disrupted in the state as per the state emergency response centre.

As many as 80 people have died in rain-related incidents and road accidents since the onset of monsoon on June 24. According to officials, bus services are suspended on 1,193 Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation (HRTC) routes and 316 buses are held enroute. Light to heavy rains lashed few parts of the state on Wednesday with Dhaula Kuan recording 144.5 mm rainfall, Renuka 87 mm, Reckongpeo 42 mm, Kotkhai 30 mm, Hamirpur 16.5, Shimla 13.5, Dharamshala 13 mm and Kalpa 10 mm rainfall. The local MeT office has issued a 'yellow' warning of heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning on July 15 and 16 in the state and predicted a wet spell till July 18. The chief Minister on Tuesday said all stranded tourists would be evacuated by Wednesday and claimed that the state suffered an estimated loss of Rs 4,000 crore.