Manali: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited the rain and flood-affected areas in Manali on September 12. She was accompanied by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, state charge Rajeev Shukla, and local unit president Pratibha Singh.
Priyanka flew from Chandigarh to Manali on Tuesday morning and visited the Manali area, which has witnessed large-scale devastation.
CM Sukhu apprised Priyanka about the relief and restoration work being undertaken by the state government. She interacted with the families who have suffered damage to their homes due to flash floods and landslides, amid unprecedented rains.
National General Secretary of All India Congress Committee Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that the natural disaster in Himachal Pradesh has caused huge damage. She said that the Central Government should declare Himachal as a national disaster. The central government should not do politics in times of natural disaster. Priyanka Gandhi was talking to journalists at the DGRE helipad in Manali after taking stock of the damage caused by floods from Bhuntar to Manali. She further said that due to the lax attitude of NHAI, people are forced to donate labor. NHAI should repair the damaged roads soon so that life can return to normal. She said that one should not see whose government is in Himachal. The central government should help in good faith. Disasters should not be politicized. The central government should not do politics in times of natural disaster.
State Chief Minister Sukhwinder Sukhu said that during the G20 programme, he had met the Prime Minister and requested him to declare a national disaster given the huge damage caused in Himachal.
He said that Himachal has suffered huge damage due to the rains, a detailed report of which has been sent to the Central Government. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has asked the Himachal government to remove stones from the middle of the rivers and use them for river channelization. In this regard, Cabinet Minister Vikramaditya Singh said that the government is considering this matter.
State Congress President and Mandi MP Pratibha Singh said that she will raise the problems of Himachal before the Central Government. On reaching Manali, Priyanka Gandhi stopped at Patlikuhal and Aloo Ground and talked to the flood-affected people to know their condition. She said that the government is with them in this hour of distress. The government will provide as much help as possible.
Even though the entire state has been adversely impacted by torrential rains, the maximum damage has been suffered by Kullu-Manali, Mandi, Shimla, and Solan.
Priyanka, who has a house in Chharabra near Shimla, had actively campaigned during the assembly polls in Himachal last year and addressed six election rallies, as Rahul Gandhi was busy with the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The ruling Congress and the BJP have been in a battle over the government’s response during the recent floods. While the BJP has accused the Sukhu government of not doing enough to help those affected by the floods, the ruling party has been primarily targeting the MPs from the state including three from the BJP for not doing their part in getting central funds for the state. CM Sukhu during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 summit dinner had urged him that the Himachal floods should be declared a national disaster and asked for a special relief package like for the Bhuj and Kedarnath tragedies.
Sanjay Dutta, an engineer by qualification but is a journalist by choice.
He has worked for the premier new agency Press Trust of India and leading English daily Indian Express.
With more than a decade of experience, he has been highlighting issues related to environment, tourism and other aspects affecting mountain ecology.
Sanjay Dutta lives in a village close to Manali in Kullu valley of Himachal.
