The Hindu : National : Tourists airlifted after floods in Sutlej

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 29, 2005

National

National

Tourists airlifted after floods in Sutlej

Staff Reporter

SHIMLA: Flash floods in the Sutlej have affected the tourist season in the tribal belts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh. A number of travel agents have cancelled the bookings of foreign tourists this month. Bridges and roads have been damaged adding to the woes of the residents of Rampur who are dependent on tourism.

Forty-five tourists, including 29 foreigners, were airlifted on Tuesday from Rekong Peo, the headquarters of Kinnaur district. IAF helicopters could do only three sorties due to bad weather in the flood-ravaged mountainous tribal district, officials said. Fifteen tourists were airlifted on Monday from Peo to Rampur.

The district administration said more than 400 tourists were still stranded in Kinnaur after the Parechu Lake breached on Sunday; the flood of water destroyed roads and bridges in downhill Sutlej.

Police sources said around 80 foreign tourists were still trapped in villages in the higher reaches of Kinnaur district. They also confirmed that UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who is holidaying in Wild Flower Hall near Shimla would visit Kinnaur on Wednesday. "Preparations are being made for an early visit on Wednesday if the weather remains normal," officials said.

Revenue Minister, Sat Mahajan and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Singhi Ram, visited the badly affected Powari and Kharo villages to take stock of the situation. They held discussions with officials on restoring roads in the area. They also reviewed the stock position of essential commodities in the district and claimed that there were sufficient stocks.

A spokesman for the Nathpa Jhakri Project told The Hindu that power generation could not be resumed on Tuesday due to the high silt content of 34,000 ppm which was way above the threshold level of 5000 ppm. Losses to the mega project were averted due to round the clock vigil and monitoring in the project area.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National