Himachal has not seen such rains in 50 yrs: CM

Himachal Pradesh has not witnessed such 'widespread heavy rains' in the past 50 years and the state has suffered a loss of about Rs 3,000 crore in this monsoon season so far, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Monday.

About 17 persons have died in rain-related incidents in the state in the past two days, he said, adding that efforts are afoot to rescue 400 tourists and locals stranded at Chandertal and between Pagal and Teilgi nallah in Lahaul and Spiti.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress and BJP national presidents are in touch and worried about the situation, the chief minister told reporters in Hamirpur.

Sukhu said that bridges were broken in Baddi, Kullu and Una, and Largi power project in Kullu was submerged in water.

In late evening on Sunday, the chief minister spoke to all the deputy commissioners and took stock of the situation regarding the damage caused and gave necessary instructions to provide immediate relief to the affected, an official statement said.

Staying awake all night, the CM monitored the rescue operations to evacuate the stranded people safely, the statement said.

Sukhu said that since last night, 29 people trapped in Manali's potato ground and six persons in Nagwayin village in Mandi have been rescued by the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF) and police teams.

The chief minister also directed the Lahaul and Spiti district administration to gear up to provide adequate food, medicines and other essential items to the stranded tourists near Chandertal Lake and to ensure that the rescue operations could be conducted on time.

"I appeal to the people to avoid travelling unnecessarily and avoid venturing out near the streams and the rivers," he said.