The Hindu : Other States / Himachal Pradesh News : Bad weather affects airlifting of stranded tourists in Himachal

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

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Other States - Himachal Pradesh

Bad weather affects airlifting of stranded tourists in Himachal

Kanwar Yogendra

Power generation remains suspended in Nathpa Project due to high silt content

SHIMLA: The recent flash floods in Sutlej has badly affected the tourist season in the tribal belts of Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh. A number of travel agents ferrying foreign tourists have cancelled the bookings for this month.

The massive damage to the bridges and roads have adversely affected the tourist trade for a long time now, felt many residents of Rampur who are dependent on tourism-related activities.

About 45 stranded tourists including 29 foreigners have been evacuated on Tuesday from Rekong Peo, the district headquarters of Kinnaur district. The IAF helicopters could carry out 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, they said.

The district administration informed that more than 400 tourists were still stranded in Kinnaur after the Parechu Lake was partially breached on Sunday and water gushed downhill in Sutlej destroying roads and bridges. According to Police sources in Kinnaur, about 80 foreign tourists are still trapped in various villages in the higher reaches.

They also confirmed that the UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, who is currently holidaying in Wild Flower Hall near Shimla, would visit the flood-damaged Kinnaur on Wednesday. "Preparations are made for the visit on Wednesday if the weather remains normal", officials said.

Meanwhile, a number of Rampur residents returned to their low-lying houses on the banks of Sutlej. Two Himachal Cabinet Ministers, Sat Mahajan and Mr. Singhi Ram, visited the badly-affected Powari and Kharo villages to take stock of the situation.

Both the Ministers held discussions with GREF authorities for restoration of roads in the area and they were informed that it would take more than two weeks to restore the traffic at Powari and Kharo. The Ministers also reviewed the stock position of essential commodities in the district and claimed that there were sufficient stocks available. However, steps had been taken to send more supplies to the areas to meet the future requirements, they said.

A spokesman of the Nathpa Jhakri Project informed The Hindu that the power generation in the project could not be resumed due to the high silt content. He said the project was in a state of readiness for restarting as soon as the silt level comes down to permissible limits.

The losses to the mega project were averted due to high alertness and round the clock vigil and monitoring in the project area, he claimed.

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