SHIMLA/DHARAMSHALA: As many as 1150 people have been evacuated from the low-lying areas of Pong Dam in Kangra district to safer places till now. Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced Rs 800 Crore Disaster mitigation plane to deal with disasters in near future in the state .
The Chief Minister informed the media that heavy rains led to more than 60 deaths across the state, especially impacting Shimla for the past two days.
As many as 27 Panchayats of Indora and Fatehpur area have been affected due to water logging downstream the Pong reservoir out of which 22 Panchayats have been severely affected due to flood.
Nearly 1150 persons have been evacuated so far with the help of Indian Air Force, Army, National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force. Police and Home Guards personnel have also been roped in for the evacuation process,
BBMB had released water from the Pong Dam on the Beas river following its level reaching its capacity due to the heaviest ever rains in the Kangra that breached an all time record with 273.4 mm recorded on August 14.
Kangra Aero, Sujanpur Tira, Dharamshala, Palamour and Guler received the record rainfall of 273 mm, 254 mm,250mm,220mm and 191 mm respectively on August 14 that turned the oversaturated water sheds into flowing rivers, while the surging Beas adding to the water fury, inundating towns and villages in the region, destroying standing crops of the farmers- the damage yet to be quantify.
He undertook aerial survey of Indora and Pragpur region of Kangra district today said that over 800 people have been evacuated through helicopter from low lying areas of the Pong dam to safer places. 
Though the intensity of rains has decreased for the past two days and Beas has receded, but the IMD Center Shimla has predicated light to moderate rainfall in the Kangra, Una,Hamirpur district for August 16.
Fortunately, there were no casualties among farmers in Fatehpur and Kangra, although crops suffered.
A rescue operation successfully saved 300 individuals trapped by water released from Pong Dam. The Mandi district also suffered damage due to continuous heavy rainfall.
CM had visited the Lalpani area in Shimla to assess the damage caused by a tragic landslide. He praised the quick response of local authorities that helped evacuate people before the disaster hit
Chief Minister Sukhu stressed the importance of improving urban drainage systems to prevent hill instability. He announced plans to create a comprehensive strategy for better drainage and stronger construction methods.
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Adding to these efforts, the State Government is working on a long-term disaster plan that will receive Rs. 800 crore in funding. This plan aims to reduce the impact of future disasters and improve the state's ability to handle them.
During this crisis, Chief Minister Sukhu criticized the Leader of Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, for prioritizing politics. He urged the opposition to focus on immediate needs rather than political agendas.
Chief Minister himself reduced his security team to ensure enough police are available for disaster response.
