SHIMLA: Himachal Pradesh continued to experience heavy rainfall on Sunday and the rivers were flowing in full spate. Roads, bridges, houses and vehicles were washed away in many places and the Beas waters even flooded the Manali-Chandigarh highwayThere was heavy snowfall in Lahaul Spiti, Kullu and Kinnaur districts too, with 1.5 feet snow recorded at Rohtang Pass. Flooding in the Beas wreaked havoc in Kullu district and 19 people, including two girls, were stranded near Dobhi village due to a flash flood in an adjoining nullah.State transport minister Govind Singh Thakur, who was present at the spot along with police and district administration officials, launched a rescue operation. “After 1995, this is the first time that such a devastating floodlike situation is being witnessed. After finding 19 people stranded, rescue operation was launched as no other option was available,” he said.Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said timely action saved lives of 19 people stranded at Dobhi as an Air Force helicopter was requisitioned to rescue them. “All of them were rescued safely,” he added.Gushing water of the Beas also flooded National Highway-21 at Dwara in Mandi district and traffic on the busy route was stopped and diverted. Traffic along the Mandi-Manali highway has been suspended. Landslides and other damage caused by heavy rain have led to dozens of roads being blocked in the state.A portion of road near Palchan has been badly damaged and it will take days to restore traffic along Manali-Leh national highway.At Koksar in Lahaul-Spiti district, 120 people were stranded after 30 cm snowfall at Rohtang Pass and had to be rescued by the Army. Similarly, 23 people were rescued from Mari and 23 from Rohtang.Fourteen other people were rescued by the Border Roads Organisation from Kullu. Around 60 sheep and goats perished due to a landslide at Chamba.In Kullu, residents witnessed the fury of the Beas for the first time after 1995. Right from Palchan village near Rohtang Pass downstream to Aut in Mandi district, flooding in the river caused extensive damage.Around 10-12 nullahs, tributaries of the Beas, are in full spate and water level is constantly rising. Around 15-20 vehicles, mostly tourist buses and trucks, were washed away in the flood in Manali and Kullu and many bridges have been either damaged or become unsafe. The state government has deployed policemen along unsafe portions of roads and bridges.Traffic between Kullu and Manali has been suspended after the flood. A newly-constructed house at Kalath and a hot sulphur spring have been washed away in the flood. The Kullu district is witnessing incessant rainfall and now the Beas flooding has left people worried as thousands live along its banks right from Palchan to Mandi.Thakur also presided over a meeting in Shimla on Sunday to take stock of the situation due to heavy rains in the state, particularly in districts of Kullu, Chamba, Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti.He said that people living downstream must be provided early warning about sudden increase in the water level of the rivers. He also ordered strict vigil on water levels of Chamera Dam I, II and III and Pandoh.All government and private schools in Shimla, Sirmaur, Kangra, Kullu, Chamba, Mandi, Kinnaur, Solan and Hamirpur districts have been directed to remain closed as a precautionary measure Naina Devi in Bilaspur district was the wettest with 178.2 mm of rainfall. Manali recorded 127.4 mm rainfall, Dharamsala 125.2 mm, Una 124 mm and Dalhousie 90 mm. Shimla experienced 47.1mm rain.Heavy rain and snowfall in upper hills has been forecast for the state on Monday.Chamba sub-divisional magistrate has warned the people not to go near the Ravi river and other nullahs as water is being released from the Chamera dam.

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