Few hours of torrential rain leave scars of devastation, says ex-Himachal CM Jairam Thakur (IANS Special)

Shimla, July 8 (IANS) A few hours of overnight torrential monsoon rains left a trail of destruction of public and private property with loss of life mounting as many still missing on the ninth day of the calamity, considered one of the worst in Himachal Pradesh’s Janjehli Valley, known globally for nature beauty.

“All is lost,” remarked BJP leader and former Chief Minister Jairam Thakur, who said in his political career spanning over 28 years, he has never seen a mammoth devastation anywhere in the state.

He said the entire road network, water supply schemes, electricity supply lines and mobile phone network in his Seraj Assembly constituency have been completely wiped out by the disaster. Multiple back-to-back cloudbursts in the interiors of Mandi district on the night of June 30 and July 1 triggered a sudden deluge, ravaging fields, houses and infrastructure projects, whatever came in its way. The Janjehli Valley is located at an altitude of 2,150 metres. “It would take years to bring devastated villages, the worst-hit Thunag and Seraj, back on track. But the state government should give priority to restoring the road network, which is hampered even after nine days of the calamity.”

The Seraj and Nachan Assembly seats in Mandi district are the worst-affected areas. The other affected areas in Mandi are Karsog and Dharampur.

“We are concerned about the locals, we live and die for them,” the Leader of Opposition and the state’s first Chief Minister from Mandi district, Jairam Thakur, told IANS on the phone, adding, “Seraj is still immersed in sorrow with scars of devastation everywhere.”

Since the tragedy occurred, Jairam Thakur reached his ancestral house in Tandi village in the Thunag area for the first time on Monday evening after trudging 25 km of broken paths and crossing flooded rivulets, as the entire road network has been damaged.

“No matter how tough the circumstances are, they cannot stop us. Our bond is one -- live and die together (with constituents) in every situation,” the sixth-time lawmaker said, adding, “Tragedy has struck us and given many blows, but it cannot break our spirits.”

He said that while trekking from Janjehli to Lambathach, he assessed the damage and met those affected by the disaster. “I assure my family members that no matter how adverse the conditions may be, we stand with you and will always. We will rise again because our courage is higher than the mountains and our resolve is stronger than the rocks,” soft-spoken, grounded Jairam Thakur, who rose with rinks, said.

He said there are scores of dried-up small rivulets in the disaster-hit areas. “On the day of calamity, the dried-up rivulets turned furious within some hours, carrying boulders, wooden logs and muck. It seems whatever came in the way of gushing water that has been washed away,” he said.

Thakur said the tragedy has not only taken “our people and our homes but also snatched away our lands”.

“Now, people are forced to abandon their villages. There is no possibility of resettling there again,” said an emotional Jairam Thakur, who met an eight-year-old survivor child who was trapped in a room of his house in Keulinnal village after a landslide. He was rescued after nearly four hours of struggle by his family.

In a heartwarming video posted by the former Chief Minister on X, he wrote, “To all my family members in Seraj, we must take inspiration from this child’s courage to overcome crises, and surely, we will succeed in defeating tough times.”

Expressing gratitude to the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), which are called the sentinels of the Himalayas, Thakur said, in this tragedy, ITBP soldiers are risking their lives to deliver relief supplies to people.

“Your support is our strength, your cooperation is our courage. Your spirit of service will forever remain etched in our memories,” he said.

Ahead of reaching his ancestral village, the BJP leader on Monday did an aerial survey of disaster-affected villages in Janjehli in an Indian Air Force helicopter. “With the kind of support we are receiving from people, I am confident that this phase will pass, and we will rise again,” a confident Jairam Thakur added.

In neighbouring Nachan Assembly constituency, there is a huge destruction in Baga and Pangliyur villages of the Saryanj gram panchayat. Locals rue that everything was normal till 2 a.m. on the night of July 1. In no time, huge rocks, debris, and 100-year-old trees were coming down from the mountain, causing destruction. People climbed on the roofs of their houses to save their lives, and in that flood, the houses were washed away along with the people.

Now, all that is visible are huge rocks and boulders with damaged apple and tomato fields. “Nine people were swept away from Baga and Pangliyur villages that night. The NDRF is still searching for five, but the ray of hope is fading with each passing day. This story is not just of Baga or Pangliyur, it is the same story in the entire area,” said Nachan legislator Vinod Kumar.

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Monday said Mandi district recorded 123 per cent excess rainfall in the past few days, causing widespread devastation, whereas Shimla district got 105 per cent excess rainfall.

Monsoon rains in Himachal Pradesh have so far caused 80 deaths, including 52 from disasters like cloudbursts and landslides. Mandi and Kangra are worst hit, where rescue operations are underway.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)

--IANS

vg/dpb