Shimla, Sept. 17 — Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses of nearly ₹20,000 crore in the past three years due to floods and other rain-related disasters, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Tuesday, as heavy rainfall continued to cause destruction across the hill state.
Speaking to reporters, Sukhu said faulty planning had worsened the impact of natural calamities. “No government institution should be built within 100 metres of rivers and streams because they are changing their course. The Dharampur bus stand is a big example – built just 10–25 metres from the river – and it has suffered heavy damage again this year,” he pointed out.
He added that Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri had inspected affected areas in Dharampur of Mandi district and reported damages worth over ₹6 crore to Himachal Road Transport Corporation buses.
The CM said the latest spell of heavy rainfall has caused widespread damage. “Last night there was heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh. In Mandi district’s Sundernagar’s Nihari area, three people died, while two persons are reported missing in Kinnaur. In Kangra, 13 families have been shifted to shelter homes. Certainly, the retreating monsoon is causing destruction in the state,” Sukhu said.
Blaming climate change and rising temperatures for the increasing devastation, he added, “In the past three years, disasters have caused damages of ₹20,000 crore to Himachal Pradesh. Our effort is to rebuild the homes of families who have lost everything, and to save lives and reduce deaths. To some extent, we have been successful.”
Targeting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sukhu accused Union ministers of visiting affected areas only for “political mileage.” He said, “They should also announce relief packages from their respective ministries. BJP leaders should urge the Prime Minister to release a special financial package for the state at the earliest, so that affected families could be provided financial assistance in time.”
Meanwhile, Education Minister Rohit Thakur said torrential rains this year have damaged 1,125 educational institutions, causing estimated losses of ₹59.5 crore. Chairing a review meeting with senior officers, he directed that funds received under the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) be utilised judiciously, with priority to schools sustaining more than 75% damage.
Thakur noted that in 2023, ₹51.13 crore was released for disaster-related repairs in 646 schools, while in 2025 (till September) ₹13.22 crore has been disbursed for 77 schools. Mandi district alone has received ₹16.19 crore between 2023 and September 2025. “Restoration work must be carried out on priority so that students’ academic activities are not hampered,” he said.
In Shimla, Congress MLA Harish Janartha blamed poor drainage and sewage management for a landslide near Portmore Government School on Monday night. The slide blocked Circular Road, considered the city’s lifeline, though no casualties were reported. “The drainage and sewage system of Portmore School is not properly maintained. Leakage and poor rainwater discharge arrangements contributed to this landslide,” Janartha said after visiting the site.
With deaths, displacement, and heavy losses reported across Himachal, the government has once again been pushed to balance urgent relief with long-term planning in the face of worsening monsoon-linked disasters.
