The Manali-Leh National Highway, which was blocked for over 80 hours after multiple landslides in Himachal Pradesh‘s Kullu district, was opened for traffic on late Sunday (July 16) by Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
Days after incessant rains wreaked havoc in the hill state, Manali-Leh National Highway has finally been restored for traffic and the development facilitated the movement of 1500 heavy vehicles that were stranded on the highway for more than three days.
The locals also joined the restoration work along with the government forces in flash flood-ravaged Manali on July 16. Reportedly, the vehicles which were stranded on the Manali-Leh National Highway are crucial for the winter stocking of various commodities for the armed forces and locals of Ladakh.
Monsoon mayhem in Himachal
Many tourists as well as locals were reported to be stranded in several districts of Himachal Pradesh, as the hill state continued to battle nature’s fury and its unforgiving fallout last week.
Floods triggered by torrential rains in Himachal claimed over 118 lives in the hill state in various rain-related incidents since the onset of monsoon on June 24.
According to the Department of Revenue of the Himachal government, the estimated cost of the damage to public infrastructure in the state has been pegged at over Rs 3738.28 crore.
The government also informed that due to heavy rains as many as 53 incidents of landslides in the hill state have been recorded along with 35 incidents of flash floods.
IMD issues orange alert for Himachal
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for rain in four districts of Himachal. The meteorological department in a tweet said that Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are likely to receive heavy to very heavy showers from July 16 to 17.
“#OrangeAlert: #HimachalPradesh & #Uttarakhand likely to get heavy to very heavy rainfall (115.6 to 204.4 mm) during 16th to 17th July”, IMD said in the tweet.