Himachal suffers Rs 1,600 cr loss from rain, snowfall

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday informed a central team that the state has suffered a loss of Rs 1,600 crore this year due to unprecedented rain and untimely snowfall, which also claimed 343 lives.

At a meeting with the inter-ministerial central team in Mandi, he said the Public Works Department had suffered a major loss.

The damage to roads and bridges has been estimated at Rs 930 crore.

Thakur said 405 incidents of landslides and 34 cloudbursts have been reported in the state.

The Irrigation and Public Health Department suffered a loss of Rs 430 crore, while the loss to the agricultural crops was estimated at Rs 130.37 crore.

The Chief Minister said 343 persons lost their lives due to flash floods, landslides, cloudbursts and weather-related road accidents.

He said 4,033 stranded persons were rescued from Chamba, Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts between September 3 and October 1.

The Chief Minister urged the inter-ministerial central team to recommend the maximum financial support from the Union government in view of the extent of losses.