It will take more than a year to rebuild the state

INTERVIEW Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, chief minister, Himachal Pradesh

- PRATUL SHARMA

THE RECENT RAINS in Himachal Pradesh, the heaviest in 50 years, left a trail of destruction not only in the state, but also downstream in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. The horrific videos reminded the country of another hilly state, Uttarakhand, in 2013. But, unlike in Uttarakhand, where reportedly more than 6,000 people died, the casualties in Himachal were under 200. The state evacuated more than 75,000 people in 48 hours. The World Bank praised Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu for his role in handling the situation, and also offered help.

For Sukhu, barely eight months into the job, this was an uphill task. He was stationed in the flood-hit areas for several days as he supervised the rescue operations. He personally managed traffic at Ramshila Chowk near Manali as tourists were stranded in jams for over 10 hours.

The biggest challenge was rescuing 290 tourists stranded at the picturesque Chandra Tal Lake, at 14,000 feet, because of unseasonal snow. Often billed as a secret lake, it is located near the Kunzum Pass—which connects Lahaul and Spiti valleys—and has low oxygen, and low atmospheric pressure and temperature.

THE WEEK spoke to Sukhu about the heroic rescue operations and whether the state had been set back several years as many roads have been washed away. Excerpts from an interview:

Q/ How much is the damage so far?

A/ The roads have been badly damaged and our drinking water supply has been wiped out. Electricity and irrigation have suffered. We estimate the loss to be at more than 8,000 crore.