Mandi-Kullu highway restored for one-way traffic, 362 roads still blocked in Himachal

The stretch was blocked at Kainchi Mod, Banala and Panarsa due to landslides and shooting stones since Friday. It had remained blocked in previous days as well due to landslides at multiple locations. “Our officials are on the ground, ensuring smooth movement and safety for the commuters,” said a police official.

The Mandi-Kullu stretch of Chandigarh-Manali National Highway (NH-21), which was blocked at multiple locations, was restored for one-way traffic on Saturday.

The Mandi-Kullu stretch of Chandigarh-Manali National Highway (NH-21), which was blocked at multiple locations, was restored for one-way traffic on Saturday. (Birbal Sharma/ HT)

The stretch was blocked at Kainchi Mod, Banala and Panarsa due to landslides and shooting stones since Friday. It had remained blocked in previous days as well due to landslides at multiple locations. “Our officials are on the ground, ensuring smooth movement and safety for the commuters,” said a police official.

The alternate route via Kataula-Kamand also remained open for the movement of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) with regulated movement near Kanoj. The road was blocked near Kanoj on Friday.

As heavy rainfall continues to batter parts of Himachal, as many as 362 roads remained blocked in the state on Saturday with 220 of them in Mandi district alone and 91 in Kullu district. Moreover, 520 water supply schemes also remained disrupted in the state.

The weather office has sounded a yellow alert of heavy rainfall on August 10 in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts. An orange alert of heavy rainfall was sounded in Kangra and Mandi districts on August 11, with a yellow alert in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Shimla, Solan and Sirmaur districts.

For August 12, an orange alert has been issued for Una, Kangra and Sirmaur districts, while Hamirpur, Chamba, Kullu and Mandi districts will be under a yellow alert. Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur districts will also be under an orange alert of heavy rainfall on August 13.

During the last 24 hours, the monsoon activity was normal over the state. While light to moderate rain was observed at most places, heavy rain was observed at isolated places during this period.

The highest rainfall of o 11 mm was recorded in Naina Devi followed by Pandoh (10 mm), Pachhad (7 mm), Kasauli (7 mm), Hmo Shillaro (6 mm), Rajgarh (6 mm), Nalagarh (3 mm), Kotkhai (3 mm), Dehra Gopipur (3 mm), Sunibhajji (3 m), Sundarnagar (2 mm), Nagrota Surian (2 mm), Kataula (2 mm), Shimla (2 mm), Bharwain (1 mm), Kothi (1 mm), Nadaun (1 mm), Una (1 mm), Palampur (1 mm) and Rampur Bushar (1 mm).

1 killed after vehicle plunges into river in Chamba

One person was killed when the vehicle he was driving plunged into the Ravi river in Chamba, police said on Saturday.

The accident occurred on the Chamba–Holi road near Jura Mata Temple on Friday night. The deceased, identified as Sunil Kumar (35), was a resident of Lilah village of Kuleth Gram Panchayat. According to officials, Kumar was returning home after completing his duty. He was driving a Bolero camper hired by a hydroelectric project and had just dropped off project workers.

Preliminary reports suggest that the vehicle suddenly went out of control near Jura Mata Temple, veered off the road, fell into a gorge, and rolled into the river.

Local residents immediately alerted the police, following which a team rushed to the spot. After nearly five hours of strenuous efforts, Sunil’s body was recovered from the river. Police officials said they are investigating the incident to determine the exact cause of the accident.