Shimla / Dharamsala: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over the phone on Monday and inquired about the extent of the damages caused to life and property due to heavy rains and floods in Himachal Pradesh. The Chief Minister informed him that the State has been severely affected by floods and heavy rainfall, leading to extensive damage and provided an update on the situation and sought liberal assistance from the Central Government to tackle this natural calamity.
The Chief Minister informed Sh. Modi that the State Government was closely monitoring the situation. He said that the region had been experiencing incessant rainfall, leading to severe floods and landslides, besides damages caused to roads, water and electric supply. The calamity has resulted in the loss of 17 lives and caused widespread destruction, with property worth thousands of crore being swept away.
The torrential rains have wreaked havoc on Himachal Pradesh, affecting the lives of many across the State, stated the Chief Minister, adding that the state government was actively engaged in providing aid to those affected by the floods. Essential supplies were being provided to the stranded individuals and efforts were underway to airlift them once the weather conditions improved.
Sh. Sukhu also expressed heartfelt appreciation to the Prime Minister for deputing the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) by the central government to assist in the rescue operations.
The Chief Minister said that Himachal Pradesh would require substantial assistance from the Union Government to recover from the extensive losses caused by the calamity. He appealed to the Prime Minister to extend a special economic package to aid in the state’s recovery process.
In response to the Chief Minister’s concerns, The Prime Minister assured him of the Union Government’s unwavering support, promising all possible assistance to come out of this crisis.
National President, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jagat Prakash Nadda also called the Chief Minster on phone and took stock of the damages and about relief and rescue operations being carried out in the State.
The Chief Minister emphasized the need for the Union Government to declare the situation as a National calamity, as the recovery process is estimated to take a long time.
Arvind Sharma is an award winning bi-lingual journalist with more than 20 years of experience.
He has worked with Divya Himachal, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhasker, Vir Partap, Ajit and PTI.
In 2010, he was conferred the Himachal Kesri journalism award. He reports on the Tibetan Government in Exile, politics, sports, tourism and other topics. He lives in Dharamshala.
