600 students stuck in landslip-hit Nerwa

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 20 

The blockade of roads due to landslides, triggered by heavy rain, played a spoilsport for schoolchildren, who had assembled at Nerwa in the interior of Chopal sub-division of Shimla district, for the district-level sports tournament. 

As many as 600 students, who participated in the tournament, are stuck in Nerwa as the road connecting Chopal with Nerwa is blocked at three places due to massive landslides. The students, who were eager to return home, have been lodged in Government Senior Secondary School, Nerwa Complex, and are  waiting for the road clearance.  “Efforts are on to clear the roads, but workers will take time to clear the road at Nerwa. Boulders at two places will be removed by evening,” said Shimla Deputy Commissioner Amit Kashyap.

“We are trying our best to evacuate the stranded children and various options, including trans-shipment, are being explored to send them to their respective destinations at the earliest. Around 12 buses and two trucks will reach the landslide-hit spot near Nerwa by early morning and the children will be trans-shipped to these buses around 9 am tomorrow,” he added. 

All precautions will be taken to ensure safety of the children while crossing the stretch to reach the other side. Food, shelter and other facilities have been arranged by the administration and the Shimla ADC is present at the spot to supervise and assist the entire operation. 

Parents are worried and making frantic calls to enquire about the well-being of their wards. “The rainy season and the venue chosen for the tournament was  not proper. The Education Department should have paid heed to the predictions of the Met Department and shifted the venue to some central place,” said a parent.

Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rain occurred at many places in the state in the past 24 hours, but the weather remained dry under partially overcast sky. Aghar was the wettest in the region with 98-mm rain, while Bangana, Bhoranj, Bharari and Sujanpur Tira and  Hamirpur recorded 66 mm, 50 mm,45 mm 39 mm and 38 mm of rain.

The Met office has predicted rain and thunderstorm in the lower, middle and higher hills for the next six days.

63 deaths since June 1

Rain-related incidents have claimed 63 lives from June 1 to August 20, while the loss due to heavy rain and cloudbursts is estimated at Rs 626 crore. As many as 5,629 water supply and irrigation schemes have been affected and 799 houses have been damaged.

Blocked roads

308
Shimla 

360
Mandi

103
Kangra 

53
Hamirpur