Himachal: Footbridge, makeshift sheds washed away in flash flood triggered by cloudburst in Kullu
Shimla (PTI): A footbridge and three makeshift sheds, including a liquor shop, were washed away following a flash flood triggered by a cloudburst in Tosh Nallah in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district, officials said on Tuesday.
The incident took place in the Tosh area of Manikaran early in the morning and no loss of life was reported, Deputy Commissioner Kullu Torul S Raveesh said, adding that a team has been sent to the spot to assess the situation.
"Our appeal to the people is to stay away from rivers and rivulets and do not make temporary structures near nallahs," she said.
The deputy commissioner said that construction activity is prohibited during the monsoon and strict action would be taken against anyone defying the norms.
The local meteorological office has issued an 'orange' alert for heavy to very heavy rain accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning in seven districts of the state on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Met has also sounded a 'yellow' alert for heavy rain at isolated places on August 2 and 3 .
Monsoon activity is likely to intensify with widespread precipitation in the next four to five days, it said. Spells of heavy to very heavy rainfall are likely to occur at one or two places in the districts of Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Shimla and Sirmaur on Wednesday and Thursday, the weather office said.
It also cautioned of possibility of landslides and flash floods in vulnerable areas of Kullu, Solan, Sirmaur, Shimla, and Kinnaur districts, and damage to plantations and standing crops, vulnerable structures and 'kutcha' houses due to strong winds and waterlogging in low-lying areas.
Meanwhile, light rainfall was witnessed in a few parts of the state.
According to Meteorological Centre, Shimla, Sarahan and Rohru recorded 12 mm of rainfall since Monday evening followed by Sangrah (10 mm), Jogindernagar (8 mm), Sainj (6.5 mm), Manali (6 mm), Rampur (5.8 mm), Dharamshala (5.4 mm) and Gohar (5 mm).
Official data recorded until Monday evening showed rain-related incidents have claimed 62 lives in the past one month since the onset of monsoon on June 27. The state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 425 crore in the ongoing monsoon, according to the state emergency operation centre.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
