Houses collapsed due to subsidence: Himachal Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri

Palampur, August 21

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri visited flood-affected areas of Palampur today. He assured the flood-affected people that the state government would provide adequate financial help for their rehabilitation.

Agnihotri, while interacting with flood-affected people, said that the state was facing the worst ever natural calamity this year and public and private property worth crores of rupees had been destroyed. The state was witnessing such devastation after 60 years, he added.

He visited Parmar Nagar where 17 houses had collapsed. He later reached the Bachhwai area where 12 panchayats had been badly affected by a cloudburst. Over 200 houses and government buildings had collapsed there. He also met flood-affected people staying in tents. He directed the local administration to install better quality water proof tents so that people were not inconvenienced.

Agnihotri, while talking to mediapersons at Bachhwai later, said that in the Sullah area, hundreds of houses had either collapsed or were damaged in flashfloods and cloudbursts recently. He added that the sinking of hills was a serious matter as most of the houses had collapsed because of subsidence.

He said, “Many houses were washed away while roads and water supply projects suffered extensive damage. Internal roads in Kanga are yet to be restored. The state will soon call geological experts to study the reasons for the sinking of hills. I will take up the matter at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow.”