Himachal Assembly adopts resolution urging Centre to declare calamity a national disaster

Shimla, September 20

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday adopted a resolution by voice vote urging the Centre to declare the recent calamity caused by heavy rains in the state a national disaster.

The resolution also sought a special relief package of Rs 12,000 crore from the Union government.

Replying to the government resolution in the assembly, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that in view of massive landslides and huge damage to roads, power projects and private as well as public properties, among others, the calamity should be declared a national disaster.

Despite request, the BJP did not support the resolution and this day would go down as black day in the history of Himachal for the BJP, Sukhu said.

The BJP indulged in politics rather than working in the interest of the people even in the wake of the worst calamity, the CM later told reporters.

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said that his party had no objection in unanimously passing the resolution but the state government should have mentioned the assistance given by the Centre and asked for more relief.

In his reply in the state assembly, the chief minister said that so far, 275 people died in rain-related incidents including 112 in landslides, 19 in flash floods, 14 in cloudbursts, and 37 due to drowning, while 39 people are still missing.

More than 2,621 houses were completely damaged while 11,041 houses were partially damaged since the onset of monsoon on June 24 in the state. The Public Works Department and Jal Shakti Department suffered losses to the tune of Rs 2,941 and Rs 2,118 crore, respectively, Sukhu said.

About 200 villages have been affected due to sinking of land while several villages have been destroyed and are not habitable and the people have been shifted to the relief camps, he said.

The state faced fury of monsoon from July 7 to 11, August 11 to 14 and August 22 to 26, and the direct loss to the state was about Rs 8,670 crore he said, adding if indirect losses are added the figure goes up to more than Rs 12,000 crore.

Besides, state highways, major district roads, and all national highways have been badly affected disrupting the transportation of goods. The tourist season was at the peak when the calamity hit the state and 75,000 tourists were stranded in the state and many had to cancel their visit causing loss of revenue to the state, Sukhu said.

“The government declared the entire state a calamity-hit on August 18 and I appeal to the Union government to immediately declare the disaster a national calamity and give a special relief package to the state as relief and restoration is not possible without liberal assistance from the Centre,” said the chief minister.

He said leading institutes like Indian Institute of Technology, Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Central Building Research Institute and Central University would be roped in to study the cause behind the landslides and cloudbursts and assist the government in adopting scientific mitigation measures for landslide and land subsidence across the state.