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Vegetable suppliers and distributors in Himachal Pradesh's Manali are facing trouble in delivering the supplies after the Aleo-Manali National Highway was damaged in heavy rains in the state.
The disruption has significantly impacted the supply of vegetables from Punjab. Vegetable distributor Ashish Sharma said that they are incurring a higher cost of labour for transporting the vegetables and earning no profits. He urged the administration to expedite road restoration work. Ashish Sharma told ANI, "The road was blocked after the floods on August 26, and we are facing trouble with transportation. We had to transport it on foot on August 28 and had to pay Rs 200 per item to the labourers, due to which the vegetables are costing us a lot. We urge the administration to begin the route as soon as possible." He said that they cannot sell the vegetables at higher prices due to the orders by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate. "We cannot sell vegetables at higher prices as per the orders by the SDM, and selling at high prices is not good in times of disasters. Our profit is zero, but the public should get the supplies. We are afraid...it is being told that it will rain for the next two to three days," he said. Earlier on Thursday, amid continuous heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, the Chandigarh-Manali Highway was closed due to a landslide in Banala. Heavy rainfall in the Kullu district has also led to a portion of the highway being washed away as the Beas River flows in spate. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert in Kullu, predicting 5-15 mm of rainfall per hour till 12 noon today, while an orange alert has been issued in the adjacent district of Kangra. The IMD has predicted rainfall in Himachal Pradesh for the next six days. (ANI)
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