New Delhi:
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday issued a red alert across Punjab as heavy rains continued to pound the North Indian state on the third consecutive day. Chief Minister Amarinder Singh chaired a meeting with authorities to review the flood relief plans and asked them to activate Disaster Control Rooms.
Singh also ordered the closure of all schools and colleges across the state on Tuesday in view of incessant rains and the looming flood threat. The Army has also been kept on standby to carry out the emergency evacuation.
“All officials to remain on standby. The Army has also been requested to be on standby. Hotspots to be identified with clear evacuation and relief plans. Have also ordered a Special Girdawari to assess crop damage,â€Â the chief minister said.
Charing a meeting to access the current situation as a result of the heavy rains in H.P and water being released from dams. Preparing a contingency plan for the same. Will ensure safety of Punjabis. Have also ordered a Special Girdawari to assess crop damage, if any. pic.twitter.com/tI47UbLJep
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) September 24, 2018
Meanwhile, six people were killed in rain-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. Five people were killed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district due to a landslide, while a man was feared dead after being swept away in overflowing rivulet in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra.
“A mud house of nomads was hit by a landslide in which five people including two females and three males died this morning,†the Indian Express quoted Doda deputy commissioner Simrandeep Singh as saying.
In Himachal Pradesh, many roads, including the national highways have been blocked due to cloud burst and rains. Five people were also missing in Manali after their car washed away in flood waters.
#HimachalPradesh: Visuals from Babeli Nature Park in Kullu following heavy and incessant rainfall in the region pic.twitter.com/Fcofx4OEyd
— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2018
