Himachal Pradesh: Fake Holiday Order For Schools And Colleges Sparks Confusion

In a recent development, Abhishek Jain, the Secretary-Education of the Himachal Pradesh government, has refuted a circulating order claiming that the state government has declared August 17 as a holiday for schools and colleges.

Jain said,"The circulated order declaring August 17 as a holiday for schools/colleges in the state is fake. District Magistrates (DMs) and Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) will make decisions based on the situation in their respective areas."

The confusion arose due to an order circulating on various platforms that indicated the declaration of a holiday for educational institutions in the state on August 17. The order was linked to the incessant rains that have led to landslides and flood-like situations in several parts of Himachal Pradesh.

Abhishek Jain's statement sheds light on the fact that such decisions are not made through a blanket statewide declaration but rather tailored to the local conditions.

District Magistrates and Sub-Divisional Magistrates, being on the ground and having a better understanding of the specific circumstances in their respective districts and subdivisions, will determine the necessity of closing schools and colleges.

Meanwhile, at least 71 people have died in the past three days and 13 are still missing in Himachal Pradesh after devastating rains pounded the state, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu terming the work of rebuilding infrastructure a ''mountain-like challenge''. The death toll from landslides and flashfloods jumped on Wednesday as rescuers pulled out more bodies from the rubble of collapsed buildings, officials said.

Heavy rains have battered the hill state since Sunday, triggering landslides in several districts including Shimla where three areas -- Summer Hill, Fagli and Krishna Nagar -- are badly hit by landslips.

''At least 71 people have died in the past three days and 13 are still missing. As many as 57 bodies have been recovered since Sunday night,'' Principal Secretary (Revenue) Onkar Chand Sharma said. Earlier, Chief Minister Sukhu said that about 60 people have died since Sunday night. In an interview with PTI, Sukhu said his state will take a year to rebuild the infrastructure wrecked 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.

The chief minister said it takes time to rebuild roads and water projects. But the government is speeding up the process. "We have to get the infrastructure fully restored within a year. I am working with this in mind." "It's a big challenge, a mountain-like challenge," he said.

According to the state emergency operation centre, in total 214 people have died in the rain-related incidents in the state since the onset of monsoon on June 24 while 38 are still missing. ''Rescue operations are going on in Summer Hill and Krishna Nagar areas...one body was recovered from Summer Hill site,'' Shimla Deputy Commissioner Aditya Negi told PTI. He said so far 13 bodies have been recovered from Summer Hill, five from Fagli and two from Krishna Nagar. Some bodies are still feared buried in the debris of the Shiva temple at Summer Hill that collapsed on Monday.

About 15 houses in Krishna Nagar have been vacated and the families shifted to safer places. Several others have vacated their homes themselves fearing slides due to incessant rains.

About 800 roads are blocked in the state and the losses suffered by the state since the onset of monsoon on June 24 have crossed Rs 7,480 crore, officials said, adding as many as 10,714 houses have been completely or partially damaged so far.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri has urged the Centre to declare national calamity in Himachal Pradesh and release Rs 2,000 crore for restoration works.

Meanwhile, 1,731 people have been rescued from flood-affected areas of Indora and Fatehpur sub-divisions of Kangra district in the last 24 hours, said Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal on Wednesday.

Specifically, 1,344 people were rescued from Indora and 387 from Fatehpur.

The operation to evacuate people from flood-affected areas is going on with the assistance of Air Force helicopters, Army personnel, and NDRF, Jindal said.

Chief Minister Sukhu conducted an aerial survey of Indora and Fatehpur and took stock of evacuation operations in the areas flooded downstream of Pong reservoir.

Himachal Pradesh has already received 742 mm of rainfall in 54 days of monsoon this year against a season's average of 730 mm it records between June 1 and September 30, a weather official here said.