Himachal CM meets Amit Shah, seeks hike in state disaster relief

Shimla: Stepping up efforts to secure Central assistance for disaster-ravaged Himachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday met Union Home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

The Chief Minister apprised Shah of the widespread devastation caused by relentless rain, flash floods, and landslides in the state, which have led to extensive loss of life, property, and infrastructure.

In Delhi for the past three days, the Chief Minister has been lobbying hard with the Central government to sanction funds for major relief and restoration measures in Seraj (Mandi) and other parts of the state, badly battered by the monsoons.

Sukhu told the home minister that Himachal Pradesh had suffered damages amounting to around Rs 1,000 crore due to flash floods and cloudbursts, even as the monsoon had just begun.

He informed that 105 precious lives had been lost and key infrastructure, including roads, bridges, buildings, irrigation schemes, water supply schemes, and electricity supply systems, had been severely affected during this disaster.

Sukhu requested the Central government to provide generous support for relief and restoration efforts. He further said that natural disasters had become a recurring phenomenon since 2023, and the state had incurred cumulative losses of approximately Rs 21,000 crore over the last three years.

The chief minister also informed that the state government was making every effort to provide relief to the affected people through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).

However, due to the repeated occurrence of such disasters, it had become increasingly difficult for the state to undertake restoration works and rebuild infrastructure with its limited resources.

Sukhu pointed out that the existing guidelines fixed by the Central government regarding the sanctioning of relief and restoration activities were inadequate, considering the difficult topographical conditions of the state.

He strongly urged amendments in the existing norms, specifically raising the current limit from 10 per cent to 30 per cent, which would provide significant support to the state in its relief and restoration efforts.

Earlier in the day, the chief minister also met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari at New Delhi today and apprised him of the damages caused by flash floods in the state and sought support for the repair and reconstruction of damaged roads. He also urged that a few roads be included in the PM Gati Shakti Yojana.