Himachal rain: Kullu dist cut off as Chandigarh-Manali NH damaged

Hundreds of cargo vehicles stranded as raging Beas river ravages stretches of highway, leading to closure from Pandoh to Aut in Mandi district for the past three days.

Amid heavy rain in Himachal Pradesh, Kullu district has been cut off with the Chandigarh-Manali national highway damaged and closed for traffic from Pandoh to Aut due to landslides in Mandi district and the raging Beas river wreaking havoc for the past three days, officials said on Wednesday.

People walking over a portion of a road that was washed away by the Beas river following heavy rainfall in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday. (PTI Photo)

Communication services in Chamba district have also been hit since Tuesday following incessant rainfall, they said.

The state has since June 20 witnessed 85 landslides, 90 flashfloods and 42 cloudbursts.

Heavy rain triggered landslides and flash floods, damaging National Highway 21 between Mandi and Kullu at Pandoh. The alternative Mandi-Kullu link via Kataula is also blocked, police said.

The Beas river has damaged several stretches of the highway and restoration could take two more days.

On Tuesday night, the Kullu district authorities ordered all fuel station operators to keep petrol and diesel reserves for emergency use and not to engage in hoarding. Pumps with a capacity of over 25,000 litres have been ordered to keep at least 5,000 litres of diesel and 3,000 litres of petrol in reserve. Light motor vehicles are being given a maximum of 20 litres of fuel at a time, while heavy vehicles are being allowed up to 100 litres of diesel.

While the cumulative toll since June 20 has climbed to 310 deaths of which 158 were rain-related fatalities including landslides, flash floods, and house collapses and 152 people died in road accidents.

The SDMA’s SEOC report noted that restoration efforts were hampered by persistent heavy rainfall in several districts, with Kullu, Mandi, Kangra, and Shimla among the worst hit. Kullu district alone reported 166 road blockages, including closures on NH-03 and NH-305, as well as widespread damage to local routes.

With the Chandigarh-Manali highway blocked, hundreds of cargo vehicles are stranded in Manali. Local residents are arranging food for drivers by setting up community kitchens (langars).

Driver Gurvinder Singh said, “I have come from Amritsar and am going to Manali. It has been four days since I arrived. The condition of the road is bad. It will take 2-3 days to be repaired.” He said vegetables and other perishable goods were rotting because of the delay.

Another driver, Bablu Thakur, said, “We have been stuck here for the last two days. The river is in spate and the roads are in a bad condition.” He said the administration has made no arrangements for food and accommodation. “Instead, some dhaba owners and local residents are providing us food and water,” he added.

While Mandi and Kullu saw a brief respite with clear skies on Wednesday, authorities remained on high alert due to rising water levels and landslide-prone roads. Restoration work is underway, and the authorities are prioritising efforts to reopen the routes.

Pilgrims stranded, MLA seeks helicopter services for rescue

Bharmour MLA Dr Janak Raj, while speaking to media on Wednesday said thousands of pilgrims, who have travelled from across India, are currently stuck along the route to the sacred Manimahesh Lake. While authorities have so far maintained that all are safe, no direct contact has been possible with those on the ground due to the complete breakdown of communication.

“For the last 40 hours, it has been raining continuously. Mobile networks are totally down; we cannot communicate with local residents or the administration. The Manimahesh Yatra is at its peak, and there are thousands of devotees here,” Janak Raj said.

He said many are stranded in Hadsar, the main starting point for the trek, as well as along routes from Chamba, Jammu’s Doda–Kishtwar region, and the Pathankot corridor.

“I have requested the government to deploy, apart from NDRF and SDRF teams, the Indian Army for night flying operations and helicopter evacuation.”

Janak Raj also noted that the official registration system for the pilgrimage had not been fully implemented, making it difficult to verify exact numbers. Based on past trends, around 10–12 lakh pilgrims participate each year, but this year’s turnout was lower due to heavy monsoon condition still likely between 7–8 lakh devotees.

IMD predicts more rains

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for heavy rains at isolated areas in three to six districts of the state till Sunday.

Chief secy reviews relief work

Chief secretary Prabodh Saxena presided over a high-level meeting to assess the current situation in the flood-affected areas of the state and the ongoing relief and rehabilitation works with concerned administrative secretaries, deputy commissioners and officers of the stakeholder departments.

He said that heavy rains and flash flood had affected several parts of the state which triggered landslides and disrupted normal life in many districts of the state. The relief and restoration work in disaster affected areas were going on war footing so that normalcy could be restored as soon as possible to give relief to the people. He said that the all the people stranded in Manimahesh in Chamba district have been evacuated.