Monsoon fury has gripped Himachal Pradesh wreaking havoc across the state and having claimed over 60 lives in a week. In the capital city of Shimla, a big landslide buried the Shiv Temple killing 9 people and many feared to be trapped under the rubble. More than 500 roads have been blocked by landslides that were triggered due to heavy rains, with nearly 60 of these roads affected in Shimla.
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The otherwise picturesque location is now witness to trees uprooted, roads washed away, lack of electricity and a persistent fog causing visibility issues. Himachal Pradesh’s Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has said that rescue operations are underway in Shimla and has appealed to citizens to stay indoors and avoid going near landslide-prone areas.
The impact of these mishaps is being felt across essential services, businesses, and social engagements, among other things in Himachal Pradesh. CNBC-TV18 spoke to residents of Shimla in an effort to understand the disruptions caused in their daily lives and how they plan to tackle them.
Shimla’s main street, Mall Road, which is regularly bustling with activity as many locals and tourists flock to the destination for shopping, eating out and buying essential goods, continues to function despite heavy rainfall. However, the shops have had no electricity for over 12 hours now and people are having to walk long distances to reach back home as most public transport is affected by blocked roads.
“These rains are unprecedented. It used to rain like this in Uttarakhand but now Himachal is also going the same way,” says Anil Malhotra, the owner of a popular eatery called Embassy Café in Shimla. He says that business has been severely impacted as tourists to Shimla have reduced significantly since last year.
“Now it is just like COVID times when borders were closed. Tourists have reduced and we are surprised when we see some of them having the courage to still visit Himachal,” he adds.
The Mall Road is also home to a series of shops selling pashminas, shawls, jewellery, children’s toys and handbags. At one of its corners, there is a shop owner, Jawahar Thakur, who has covered his goods, which are prams for babies, with plastic covers. He says that he has always lived in Shimla and has never seen so much rain which has left very little business for him.
As for local residents, the rain alert and Chief Minister advisory have led them to stock up on daily groceries and power banks.
23-year-old Samridh Singh has been a frequent visitor to Shimla as his grandmother resides here. He says for the 12 years that he has been coming to Shimla, it has never been as bad.
"There has been no electricity for 14-18 hours, that’s why I have stepped out to come get groceries for the next few days," he adds.
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued an alert of heavy rainfall for the next four days hours in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
First Published: Aug 16, 2023 3:22 PM IST
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