Bali asks HRTC not to run buses on unsafe roads in Himachal

Visits area where landslide took place yesterday

Dharamsala, August 8, 2013: Transport Minister of Himachal Pradesh GS Bali has instructed the HRTC not to run buses on the unsafe roads of the state.

Addressing a press conference here, Bali said , “If anything wrong happens in these roads the responsibility shall be fixed on Regional Manager HRTC of the area.”

He said that the concerned authorities have been told to conduct survey to pinpoint the difficult road links during Monsoon and report these to DC and Headquarter in 10 days.

He said that the HRTC is instructed not to take unwanted risks during this monsoon season when the roadsides become very loose due to heavy rains. He also said that public vehicles must be thoroughly and regularly checked before starting a route.

Bali visited the area in the upper Dharamsala near Dalai Lama residence where yesterday about 60 houses were damaged due to landslide. He said that government is paying financial help of Rs. 75,000 to each affected family as immediate help and arranging for alternate land nearby for reconstruction.

On the other hand Urban Development and Town and Country Planning Minister Sudhir Sharma and Vice Chairman, H.P State Forest Corporation, Kewal Singh Pathania called on Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh at Shimla on Thursday to apprise him about the losses occurred due to landslides and heavy rains in second Mod, Tihra Line area of Gram Panchayat Kajlot under Dharamsala in district Kangra. They urged the Chief Minister to provide financial assistance and land to the victims in nearby area for construction of houses for their rehabilitation. They said that landslides also caused damage to Army quarters and more than 16 private houses in the area besides loss to other property.

On Wednesday morning 15 Army quarters were razed to ground and over a dozen houses, mostly of ex-servicemen, were badly damaged as a massive landslide triggered by incessant rains hit Kajlot Panchayat, near Dalai Lamas residence in upper Dharamsala .

The gushing rain water swept the quarters and the land in surrounding areas sunk by 200 feet while over a dozen private houses, mostly of Gorkha ex-servicemen, were badly damaged.

However, there was no loss of life but at least 20 families were rendered homeless and provided temporary shelter in the Army complex.

Meanwhile, several areas of the state were lashed by heavy rains and Dharamsala, which was wettest in the region with 111 mm rains, received more than 400 mm rains during the past four days.