Himachal Rains Live Updates: CM Sukhu blames rampant construction for disaster; death toll goes past 70

Himachal Rain News Live Updates: Blaming faulty structural design, indiscriminate construction work and “migrant architects” for the destruction faced by his state this week, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu hinted at tougher rules to avoid such incidents in the future. “People construct houses without applying scientific methods. Shimla is more than one and a half century old, and its drainage system was excellent. Now there are buildings in the nallas (runlets). The houses which are collapsing these days have not gone through the standards of structural engineering,” the CM said.

What is the situation now? With the recovery of one more body from the debris of a collapsed Shiv temple in the Summer Hill area of Shimla, the death toll in Himachal Pradesh has climbed to 72. Rescue operations are still on. Principal Secretary (Revenue), Onkar Chand Sharma, said that the losses in the monsoon season have touched Rs 7,500 crore. As many as 650 roads were blocked in the state and 1,135 transformers and 285 water supply schemes were disrupted.

How long will it take to rebuild? Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has said that the state will take a year to rebuild the infrastructure damaged by the heavy rains this monsoon and claimed that the estimated loss in the two devastating spells of heavy rains — this week and in July — is about Rs 10,000 crore.