BJP leaders visit disaster-hit areas in Chamba’s Bhattiyat

Senior BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly Jai Ram Thakur, Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan and state BJP president Dr Rajeev Bindal, on Wednesday visited the disaster-affected areas of Bhattiyat Assembly segment in Chamba district. The leaders toured Kakira, Tunnuhatti, Meil and Kakdar, where they interacted with local residents and listened to their grievances.

Several houses in the region have suffered extensive damage due to landslides and land subsidence during the spell of heavy rains from August 23-26 and later in early September. The leaders urged the state government to provide immediate relief and assistance to the affected families. They said instead of indulging in politics, the state government should speed up the restoration and relief operations.

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said the BJP units across the country have been sending relief material to Himachal’s disaster-affected regions. “From the very beginning of the monsoon disaster in Mandi district, BJP workers have been standing with the victims like family members. Our workers have carried relief material on their backs for several kilometres to ensure help reaches even the remotest villages,” he said.

He further said thousands of relief kits were still arriving and being distributed across disaster-hit areas. “Other parties and their workers are nowhere to be seen in this hour of crisis, but the BJP continues to stand firm like a rock with every affected family,” Thakur remarked.

The Leader of Opposition also emphasised the urgent need for permanent restoration of essential services such as electricity, water, roads, health and education before the onset of winter, as most disaster-affected areas remain snowbound during the season. He also expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for visiting Himachal to assess the damage and for announcing an immediate relief package of Rs 1,500 crore. Earlier in the day, Jai Ram Thakur and Dr Bindal flagged off a truck loaded with relief material from Nurpur for disaster-hit areas of Chamba.