14 families evacuated in Chamba’s Churah

Our Correspondent

Chamba, March 4

As many as Fourteen families of Ladroga village in the Nakrod area of Churah subdivision have been shifted to safer places after an imminent threat of landslide and rockfall. The village was evacuated on Sunday night after heavy rainfall pummelled the region.

Churah Subdivisional Magistrate Joginder Patial on Monday visited the affected village to assess the situation.

He directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to promptly remove the boulders posing a threat to the village.

Acting on the directions of the civil authorities, the PWD deployed compressor machines along with earthmovers to break down the boulders. Till the time the threat by boulders is removed, the village families will continue to stay in schools and other houses nearby, said Patial.

He said the panchayat pradhan had been instructed to ensure the availability of essential items, including food and other necessities, to the affected families.

“The administration is extending full assistance to the village through the panchayat to meet these requirements. Some families are staying with their relatives, while most other are accommodated in schools,” he said.

Even as the rain relented on Monday after several days of inclement weather, normal life continued to be disrupted across the district. The recent heavy downpour has impacted daily life in remote regions like Bharmour, Churah and Pangi.

As per the District Emergency Operation Cell report, 63 roads are still blocked across the district. Twenty-six roads remain blocked in tribal Pangi subdivision, 17 in Churah, 15 in Bharmour and five in Salooni. The Chamba-Pathankot road is blocked near Bagga while Chamba-Tissa road is blocked for heavy traffic near Rakhalu Mata temple for the last 10 days. There is a blackout in hundreds of villages in the remote areas due to malfunctioning of 149 transformers. As many as 73 water supply schemes have also been hit.

The state has experienced above normal rainfall in the first four days of March. The rain surplus is 508% as the state got 96.1 mm rainfall against a normal of 15.8 mm. Chamba experienced 109.6 mm rain against a normal of 17.8 mm. The MeT department has forecast rain for next three days with a yellow alert on March 6 and 7.

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