BJP divided into five factions, facing power struggle: CM

Lahaul and Spiti MLA Anuradha Rana, while participating in an ongoing discussion on natural disaster through an adjournment motion under Rule 67 in the Assembly today, demanded an amendment to the Forest Conservation Act (FCA) and the relief manual of the Central Government.

She said that even Lahaul and Spiti, a cold desert, was witnessing heavy rainfall and extreme weather events like cloudbursts and flashfloods and stressed the need to amend the Forest Conservation Act and the Centre’s relief manual to provide meaningful assistance to the disaster-affected people. “Due to the Forest Conservation Act, the rehabilitation of the disaster-affected people has become tough. Also, people receive a petty amount as per the relief manual for their heavy loss of land and property. It needs to be amended,” she added.

Anuradha questioned the development model of the state and said that the construction of four-lane roads should be done scientifically and there should be a check on a large number of power projects.

Prakash Rana, BJP MLA from Jogindernagar, said that the state was reeling under massive natural disasters for the past three years but the biggest disaster was yet to occur. “The biggest disaster to hit the state will be the financial disaster. The state is in deep financial trouble. There’s hardly any money left for development after paying salaries and pension,” he added. Everyone should come together to pull the state out of this crisis, he asserted.

Balbir Singh Verma, BJP legislator from Chopal, said that the Congress government had completely ignored his constituency, which had suffered a lot of damage due to heavy rain. BJP’s Dilip Singh (Sarkaghat) and Congress’ Hardeep Singh Bawa (Nalagarh) also spoke on the havoc wreaked by heavy rain in their constituencies.