Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on Tuesday.
He apprised the Union Minister of the massive damage caused by flash floods in the state and sought the Centre’s support for the repair and reconstruction of the affected roads.
The Chief Minister also urged the inclusion of certain roads under the PM Gati Shakti Yojana. He informed the Union Minister about delays in various National Highway projects due to multiple factors and requested that the issues be addressed promptly to expedite construction work.
Sukhu emphasized the need to adopt tunneling in National Highway projects and discussed roads of strategic importance that have already been raised with the Ministry of Defence, urging for swift action on them.
He also requested the sanctioning of more ropeway projects in the state to help ease traffic congestion.
The Union Minister assured the Chief Minister of all possible assistance and issued necessary directions to the concerned officials.
According to the Himachal Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority, the monsoon has wreaked havoc in the state, claiming 105 lives between June 20 and July 14.
Of these, 61 deaths were due to rain-related incidents such as flash floods, cloudbursts, landslides, electrocution, and fatal falls, while 44 fatalities occurred in road accidents.
Additionally, 35 people are still reported missing and 108 have been injured.
Mandi has been identified as the worst-affected district.
Losses to public and private property have been estimated at over ₹784.6 crore, with Mandi district alone suffering damages worth more than ₹10 crore.
A total of 220 roads were blocked and 171 water supply schemes were disrupted during this period.