Thunag Disaster: Sukhu Govt Junked 2023 Probe, Now Playing Blame Game as Negi Targets Jai Ram, Kangana
Shimla/Thunag:
Just a year after flash floods nearly drowned Thunag in 2023, history repeated itself—but worse—on June 30, as raging khads swallowed the Horticulture College and most of Thunag’s market in a deluge that left over 500 students narrowly escaping death.
This time, cries of women, children and locals echo from debris-strewn ruins—homes flattened, lifetime savings washed away.
What’s more shocking?
The Sukhu government had junked the 2023 probe into the floods. No lessons learnt.
No action taken. No plan to relocate or safeguard. And today, the Revenue Minister Jagat Singh Negi, known more for sarcasm than solutions, chose to hit out at Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur and Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut—instead of extending support to the flood-battered people of Seraj.
Thunag: A “Planned Disaster”
Locals say the tragedy was a ticking time bomb. The entire town and college were allowed to grow bang in the floodplain—where three khads merge—thanks to faulty planning and political optics. Thunag was Jai Ram Thakur’s “model town” dream project.
Now, it’s turned into a disaster zone under his own watch.
Negi Shifts College, Hits Out at Rivals
Speaking at a press conference, Revenue, Horticulture & Tribal Development Minister Jagat Singh Negi announced that the College of Horticulture and Forestry at Thunag would be shifted to Sundernagar for now.
Over 300 students will be relocated, and a new site is being identified by Nauni University.
"Students had a narrow escape. Infrastructure was never in place. Most stayed in PGs. The admission process is on—we can't risk lives again," he said.
But Negi didn't stop there.
Instead of consoling affected families, he took jabs at Jai Ram Thakur, saying if the Seraj MLA had agreed in 2023, the state might have received full disaster aid.
He even mocked Mandi MP Kangana Ranaut, saying, "Crossing rivers and trudging through flood-hit terrain is not something an actress can handle.
She belongs on a Bollywood stage, with makeup artists and scripted lines."
Central Relief? Too Little, Too Late
Negi revealed that a ₹10,000 crore damage report (PDNA) was submitted in 2023.
The Centre released only ₹2,006 crore after a two-year delay—and even that came with a 25% cost-sharing burden for the already cash-strapped state.
With 2025 monsoons wreaking fresh havoc, no new help has come so far.
Negi asked BJP leaders, especially JP Nadda and the four BJP MPs from Himachal, to rise above party lines and push the Centre for urgent aid.
Ironically, he welcomed Jai Ram’s decision to join CM Sukhu on his Delhi visit, calling it a “united front” that could strengthen Himachal’s case.
Ground Reality Check:
Meanwhile, in Thunag, the reality bites hard. Locals dig through rubble. Students are shaken. Shops are gone.
And amid political potshots and temporary solutions, people ask: Will anyone be held accountable for turning Thunag into a graveyard of dreams?
Will to be nature? Who allowed multi crore College on the bank of the khad?
People of Seraj reacted saying that Negi should not take allegedly his sadistic delights to score political point over Thakur and Ranaut.
Answers must come from Jai Ram Thakur, perhaps who wants to see Thunag as his dream trade hub and centre.
#ThunagDisaster
#PlannedNegligence
#PoliticsOverRelief
#HimachalFloods
#BlameGameInSeraj
