Over 1,500 houses completely damaged in Himachal Pradesh due to monsoon fury this year
Shimla (PTI): Monsoon fury in Himachal Pradesh has rendered more than 1,500 families homeless since its onset on June 20 as the state recorded an average rainfall of 1010.9 mm this time, 46 per cent more than the normal of 692.1 mm.
The Himalayan state witnessed 46 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods and 145 major landslides, while 417 people have died. Of those dead, 231 lost their lives in rain-related incidents and 181 in road accidents. About 477 people have suffered injuries, while 45 are still missing.
According to the state emergency operation centre data, 1,502 houses were fully damaged while 6,503 suffered partial damage as the state suffered losses to the tune of Rs 4582 crore so far.
The public works department was the worst hit with losses amounting to Rs 2803 crore, followed by the Jal Shakti department, which lost Rs 1,405 crore.
Frequent natural disasters have made life in the hill state uncertain, and an uneasy calm prevails among the residents who are fighting to restore normalcy.
On Tuesday evening, as many as 655 roads, including stretches of three National Highways, were closed in the state, and 924 power transformers and 243 water supply schemes were disrupted.
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Tribal man brings dead sister's skeleton to bank to withdraw money from her account
Keonjhar (PTI): A tribal man in Odisha's Keonjhar district on Monday brought the skeleton of his dead sister to a bank to withdraw the money deposited in her name, police said.
The incident occurred at Maliposi branch of Odisha Grameen Bank located at Patana block of Keonjhar district. The man was identified as Jeetu Munda (50) of Dianali village. He was seeking to withdraw Rs 20,000 from the bank account of his elder sister, Kalra Munda (56), who died on January 26, 2026.
"I have run several times to the bank, and the people there told me to bring the account holder to withdraw money deposited in her name. Though I told them that she had died, they did not listen to me and insisted on bringing her to the bank. Therefore, out of frustration, I dug the grave and brought out her skeleton as proof of her death," an illiterate Jeetu Munda told reporters.
Patana Police Station Inspector in charge (IIC) Kiran Prasad Sahu, who reached the bank after getting information, said, "Jeetu is an illiterate tribal man. He does not know what the legal heir or nominee is. The bank officials have failed to make him understand the procedure to withdraw money from the dead person's account."
However, after the incident, the police assured Jeetu Munda that they would facilitate the withdrawal of money from the bank account of his dead sister. Later, the skeleton was again buried at the graveyard in presence of police.
Meanwhile, local Block Development Officer (BDO) Manas Dandpat said that he was not approached by anyone for the legal heir of late Kalra Munda. "Today only, I came to know about it. We will see what can be done to resolve the issue," the BDO said.
Meanwhile, bank sources said that the nominee in Kalra Munda's bank account was also dead. Therefore, Jeetu Munda was the lone claimant over the money deposited in her name.
The local administration has directed the bank officers to make arrangements and ensure that Jeetu Munda, who is the only claimant as per the rules, gets the money as soon as possible.
