Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu on Wednesday apprised the Legislative Assembly about the loss of life and property due to heavy rain in monsoon and said the state has received Rs 633 crore from the central government, which was just 6.40 percent of the total estimated loss of Rs 9,905 crore.
In a statement in the House here, the Chief Minister said 500 people have lost their lives due to massive devastation caused by heavy rain.
Asking the Opposition BJP to accompany him to apprise the Prime Minister about the actual loss and to seek more central assistance to carry out relief and rehabilitation work in disaster-hit areas, Sukhu said an interim relief of Rs 200 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund was released on September 16.
“At least Rs 1,658 crore is supposed to be sanctioned to the state. But the Government of India has sanctioned only Rs 633.73 crore as on December 19, which is insufficient to compensate for the widespread devastation. The sanctioned amount is only 6.40 per cent of the loss,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the state government was expecting a generous financial indulgence from the Centre of Rs 2,000 crore.
Responding to the Chief Minister’s statement, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the state could get more assistance from the Centre “if the state proceeded the case appropriately”.
“You (the government) are trying to blame the central government. This is not your right perspective. You have never expressed gratitude for the financial assistance extended by the central government,” former CM Thakur said.
At this, the Chief Minister stood up and said, “You should accompany us to meet the Prime Minister for seeking more financial assistance”.
In August, the Congress government declared the entire hill state as a natural calamity affected area in view of the massive damage caused to human life and property due to unprecedented heavy rains.
Officials told IANS that hundreds of buildings have been destroyed partially or completely and thousands of families forced to abandon their homes, seeking refuge in temporary shelters or with relatives from June 24, the onset of the southwest monsoon, till mid of August.
The situation was dire with approximately 2,000 roads severely damaged, and both government and private property suffering significant losses.
As the state was battling the worst natural calamity in 50 years, civil society organisations and environmental activists in August had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to consider declaration of the situation as a national disaster or calamity of rare severity under the provisions of the Disaster Management Act of 2005.
In a missive to the Prime Minister, they had said the state was grappling with an unprecedented disaster scenario.
The letter, signed by 89 organisations, comprising a few individuals, pointed out that taking cues from the stance of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), which released only meager funds to assist various states affected by floods, landslide and cloudburst disaster during 2022, they said the intensity and magnitude of disasters in Himachal had far surpassed the state government’s capacity.
“There is urgent need to transfer 100 per cent funds, i.e., Rs 10,000 crore of the total damaged assessed by the state government directly from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) immediately, and if required from the National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF), which would be more appropriate and urgently needed in this grave hour,” they had said.
The civil society organisations believed a long-term solution to prevent fatal disasters lies through re-evaluation of development projects and policies in the Himalayan region as serious lessons to be taken for future activities.
Cloudbursts and flash floods have become a regular feature in the hill state of Himachal Pradesh in recent years. The heavy loss of life caused by such calamities can be mainly attributed to the increasing human activity, particularly along the rivers and water channels.
The local authorities are yet to wake up from their slumber despite the fact that most of the picnic spots in the Himalayan state fall in high seismic zones IV-V, suggesting severest seismic sensitivity.
Advocating sustainable development, the National Green Tribunal and the state High Court have time and again rapped the state authorities over their lack of response to the growing unauthorised constructions across Himachal.
A seasoned journalist with over two decades of experience, Vishal writes on a wide range of subjects which include biodiversity, climate change and links between environment & development. He also covers politics and other developments in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. He lives in Chandigarh & Shimla.
