Chairing a meeting on safety issues regarding the discharge of water from dams, Saxena said that though a part of the devastation was natural but responsibility must also be fixed for the failure of the dam authorities in complying with relevant provisions of the Dam Safety Act (DSA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) guidelines of 2015.
Rs 2,700 crore has been earmarked additionally for Himachal Pradesh under the PM Gram Sadak Yojna for specific roads which were damaged recently, he claimed.
Exercising special powers vested in him, Solan District Magistrate Manmohan Sharma ordered the closure of Sanwara toll plaza with immediate effect till the highway is reopened.
Talking to The Indian Express, SDM, Solan, Gaurav Mahajan said, "We have contacted the Mohali and Panchkula administrations and through them, advisories have been issued requesting people not to travel to Kasauli and Shimla as the highway is closed due to multiple landslides in the area”.
Bringing relief to residents of over 50 villages in Kasauli constituency, the Himachal Pradesh government during its budget session in March 2023 had approved the construction of the second dam on Kaushalya river, a tributary of Ghaggar, at an estimated cost of Rs 21.79 crore.
Since the onset of monsoon in the hill state on June 24, 154 persons have died so far in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods and cloudbursts, besides road accidents, according to the Himachal Pradesh State Emergency Response Centre
Preliminary investigation and forensic examination have pointed out that the gas leak led to the blast but we are still probing all the angles till the final report is received, Director General of Police (DGP) Sanjay Kundu, who visited the blast site on Wednesday, said.
The petitioner had sought directions to the respondents to frame rules/guidelines for video-recording of the selection process including tests and interviews.
Presiding over a meeting of the Urban Development Department, Sukhu directed to provide online all essential services like property tax, bill payments, notices, all types of NOCs and permissions online. He said the move will help curb corruption within the system.
Sukhu said that a proposal in this regard would be placed before the Cabinet for its approval shortly. Doctors and paramedical staff would work in shifts of eight hours each as part of the Emergency Medicines Department, he added.
Earlier, the MHA, in a statement said: “The home minister approved the advance release of the second installment of the central share of the SDRF, amounting to Rs 180.40 crore for 2023-24, as an interim relief to Himachal Pradesh”.
State capital Shimla is again at the top of the list when it comes to water supply schemes (WSSs) that have been damaged. A total of 448 WSSs are yet to be repaired in Shimla followed by Mandi (258).
Himachal Pradesh Floods: "This government has the worst governance record. It has stalled almost all development projects. In my constituency alone, projects worth Rs 200 crore started during our tenure have been stalled, "Jai Ram Thakur, Himachal Pradesh's Leader of the Opposition said.
Kasuli residents blame the Solan administration for its “reluctant and insensitive attitude” towards the issue; electricity officials at Kasauli have cited shortage of hands staff.
Himachal Pradesh Floods: Israel nationals, Australian journalist are among those stranded in Himachal Pradesh. Breakdown of communication networks is the major challenge faced by the authorities in the rescue operations.
Himachal Pradesh Floods: In Kullu's Sainj area alone, around 40 shops and 30 houses were washed away, according to Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who conducted an aerial survey of the Kasol, Manikaran, Kheer Ganga and Pulga areas.
“All the required arrangements are being made to ensure the success of this anti-encroachment drive. The law and order situation will be taken care off by the concerned agencies”, the official of the Kasauli Cantonment said.
