SHIMLA: A few hours of overnight torrential monsoon rains left a trail of destruction of public and private property with loss of life mounting as many still missing on the ninth day of the calamity, considered one of the worst in Himachal Pradesh’s Janjehli Valley, known globally for nature beauty.
“All is lost, ” remarked BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, who said in his political career spanning over 28 years, he has never seen a mammoth devastation anywhere in the state.
He said the entire road network, water supply schemes, electricity supply lines and mobile phone network in his Seraj Assembly constituency have been completely wiped out by the disaster. Multiple back-to-back cloudbursts in the interiors of Mandi district on the night of June 30 and July 1 triggered a sudden deluge, ravaging fields, houses and infrastructure projects, whatever came in its way. The Janjehli Valley is located at an altitude of 2, 150 metres. “It would take years to bring devastated villages, the worst-hit Thunag and Seraj, back on track. But the state government should give priority to restoring the road network, which is hampered even after nine days of the calamity.”