The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had a detailed meeting with its officials to address the devastation caused due to heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari met senior state and central officials to chalk out a plan to ensure minimal loss of lives and property.

The government is working on a flood protection plan that would ensure the safety and security of people in case of natural calamities. The government is working on short-term measures as well as long-term programmes.

The short-term programmes will offer quick solutions to put life back on track while the long-term ones will look at alternative methods and procedures that would ensure better living conditions to people during inclement weather.

Speaking to The Statesman, the Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari said, “Devastation during a natural calamities is inevitable but we can minimise the risk and losses with the best possible technologies and support system. We had a detailed round of meetings with the authorities and the HP Chief Minister. We are charting out plans that could quickly put life back on track. No one should remain stuck. At the same time, the efforts are on for the long-term solutions”.

The minister further added, “It will not be easy to rebuild things in Himachal. It requires a lot of planning and careful execution. The reason is that it is difficult terrain. No matter how cleverly we plan, nature is one up. So we are working on the technologies that worked well in such situations in different countries for the hills. We are trying to come up with something that would create a support system for the people of Himachal. So, during rainfall or landslides, they could depend on the safety system”.

Himachal Pradesh has faced a huge scale of devastation due to frequent cloudbursts and heavy rain in the past one month. Mandi, Shimla, Kullu, and Sirmaur are the worst–affected with plain areas of HP like Kangra facing flood-like situations due to heavy rainfall.

The past five days saw havoc in the hills due to incessant rain and frequent cloudbursts. About 1,220 square kilometers of roads remain closed. It has impacted more than 2,000 routes, as a result, they have become non-operational.

The Indian Air Force, Indian Army and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been pressed into action for rescue operations. The Indian Air Force has rescued about 780 people in Kangra so far. It is facing a flood-like situation due to the opening of flood gates of the Pong dam.

According to sources, the estimated cost of the loss of property is about Rs 7,500 crore. The figures could escalate as the rescue and relief operation is still going on. The weather was at its worst on August 13, 14 and 15. This has caused huge devastation in the state. About 71 people were reported dead in the state due to the non-stop rainfall, cloudbursts, and landslides in many places.