Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Sunday in an exclusive interview with India TV said that the roads in the state will be reopened in the next 15 days if everything returns back to normal. He further said that there has been a lot of loss in the state and that the priority at the moment is to save the lives of the people.
CM Sukhu said "The infrastructure will be put in place in the state in the next few days. But it will take up to a year to restore some things as before." He said that if everything goes well in the state and the sun continues to shine like this, all the roads will be reopened in the next 15 days.
Earlier in the day, he directed officials to integrate forest department outposts with police outposts to combat timber smuggling in the state. Presiding over a meeting of the forest department here, he emphasised the installation of advanced technology, including CCTV cameras, at these integrated outposts.
Timber smuggling results in revenue loss for the state government and the forest department should take proactive measures to restrain the illegal trade, the chief minister was quoted as saying in a statement issued here.
Alternative road opened in Himachal's Pandoh to divert vehicular traffic
The authorities in Himachal Pradesh on Saturday started diverting hundreds of stranded vehicles to Kullu and Mandi via an alternative road opened from Pandoh, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sunder Singh Thakur said.
Hundreds of people were stuck near Pandoh in Mandi district after landslides triggered by heavy rain on August 23 blocked the Mandi-Kullu Highway and the Kandi Katola Road. The administration had arranged for the stranded people to stay in relief camps set up in hotels, rest houses and other places.
According to the state's Emergency Operation Centre, 448 roads are blocked in the state.
Till August 25, 249 people have died in rain-related incidents since the onset of the monsoon on June 24. The Public Works Department alone has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 2,913 crore.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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