Cloudburst havoc in Mandi: Kangana Ranaut, Jairam Thakur meet victims; govt sends relief, restores roads

NEW DELHI: BJP MP and actress Kangana Ranaut, along with former chief minister Jairam Thakur, visited cloudburst-affected areas in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh on Sunday to assess damage and interact with affected residents.

The visit came amid widespread destruction and loss of lives caused by cloudbursts and flash floods triggered by heavy rainfall across the state.The Mandi administration has distributed over 1,300 food kits to affected families in disaster-hit areas, containing essential items like flour, rice, oil, and other basic necessities."The central government provided immediate relief operations by sending in the forces.

At the local level, we provided relief material to the affected families... Even though the Prime Minister is on a foreign visit, but he is informed of what is happening here, and the central government has swung into action. As an MP, it is my job to bring in funds and convey the ground reality to the government," Ranaut told ANI."Following the cloudburst, there is a flood-like situation here in Mandi. Road connectivity is severely affected, particularly in the Thunag area and the nearby areas.

Despite this, our government and administration are closely monitoring the situation, and relief efforts are underway. Road connectivity is being restored. Our teams are in every affected area. We have made committees in the affected areas, which have their chairpersons," she added.Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu is personally monitoring the relief operations and has assured full support from the state government to affected families.A state government spokesperson detailed the distribution of food kits across different areas: 197 in Thunag, 69 in Janjehli, 1,000 in Bagsaid, 40 in Dharampur, and 11 in the Chauntra area of Mandi district.Additional 160 food kits have been sent to the Janjehli area and 176 kits to the Thunag area of the Seraj assembly constituency for further distribution. The administration maintains 665 kits in stock for future needs.On Saturday, a State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) team conducted a field visit to Panchayat Jarode village to provide emergency assistance to residents in disaster-affected areas.The SDRF team surveyed impacted areas, identified vulnerable individuals needing urgent aid, and distributed relief materials, including basic need kits and medical supplies.The team also provided medical assistance to villagers requiring immediate care and gathered information about additional support requirements from local residents.District Commissioner Mandi, Apoorv Devgan, identified the Thunag subdivision, Karsog Gohar subdivision, and Dharampur subdivision as the most affected areas.Chief Minister Sukhu has directed the Mandi district administration to conduct relief and rescue operations on a war footing in the disaster-affected areas, ensuring aid reaches all those in need.