Chamba, September 1
Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal said that the district administration has made arrangements on priority basis for the safety, accommodation, food and drink of the pilgrims of Shri Manimahesh Yatra and to ensure their safe arrival at their destination.
He informed that during the Yatra, due to continuous heavy rainfall from 23 to 25 August in the entire district, about 15 thousand devotees were trapped in various areas of Bharmour due to landslides. To safely take the devotees to their destination, a major rescue operation was launched by the district administration on 27, 28 and 29 August. On 27 August, all the devotees who were on the track route were brought to Bharmour and the operation is ongoing by the district administration to safely take them to their destination.
Giving information, the Deputy Commissioner said that all the devotees were safely transported from Bharmour to Chamba, after which, from Chamba onwards, with the help of HRTC and local people, everyone was sent to their respective destinations. On behalf of the administration, the Deputy Commissioner thanked all those langar committees and local people who cooperated with the administration in safely transporting the devotees to Chamba and providing various types of services during the entire operation in this difficult time.
Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Repaswal also informed that about 15 thousand devotees were present in Bharmour, out of which more than 10 thousand devotees have been safely sent to their destination, about 3 to 4 thousand devotees are still in Bharmour for whom complete arrangements for accommodation and food have been made with the help of Bharmour administration and local people. He informed that all the remaining devotees will be safely sent to their destination soon.
Referring to the damage caused by heavy rains across the district, he said that it is difficult to assess the damage. He said that there are about 15 to 20 such large slices on the national highway between Bagga and Durgathi, which will take a lot of time to repair.
Praising the Public Works Department, the Deputy Commissioner said that the department is ensuring effective day and night work to restore the National Highway.
He said that the officials of Jal Shakti Department and HPSCBL have also done a great job and despite heavy rainfall, they kept the electricity and water supply in Bharmour smooth and in time.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the police and the NDRF team did an excellent job and within a day, they evacuated about 9,500 passengers safely from the route which was completely damaged.
He also expressed his gratitude to all the district residents and Pathankot and Doda district administration for the various arrangements.
