Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu recently visited the remote mountain village of Samej located near Rampur, Shimla to assess the damage caused by the deadly cloudburst that struck the area earlier this week. Accompanied by senior government officials, the CM inspected the site where a massive flash flood swept through late last Thursday night, destroying homes and devastating the community.
With floodwaters receding, the full scale of the tragedy is now emerging. Tragically, at least 6 lives have been lost while another 47 individuals remain missing. Infrastructure damage has also been severe, with over 100 houses, roads and bridges washed away or rendered unusable. Local schools suffered damage as well, disrupting education for students.
CM Sukhu met with distraught families mourning their losses from the natural disaster. He expressed heartfelt condolences and announced immediate relief measures to aid recovery efforts. Each affected household will receive 50,000 rupees to cope with losses. Additionally, rent support of 5,000 rupees per month for 3 months has been sanctioned to temporarily displaced families. Other items such as food rations, cooking fuel and temporary shelter will also be provided.
The CM further assured that rebuilding of damaged infrastructure like housing and classrooms will commence shortly. Search operations are ongoing around the clock to locate missing persons. While recovering from this tragedy will be challenging, the government is committed to helping the community rebuild and heal in the weeks ahead. This visit brought reassurance that the victims of Samej's cloudburst are not alone in facing its aftermath.
