Rajeev Bindal: Provide land to those rendered homeless

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Solan, August 26

State BJP president Rajeev Bindal today said that the state government had failed to provide timely relief to families affected by heavy rain and flashfloods.

Bindal, while addressing mediapersons here, said, “The pace at which relief and rehabilitation activities are being undertaken is dismal. Land should be allotted on a replacement basis to those who have lost their houses so that the affected families can begin life afresh.”

He alleged that the state government was adopting a pick and chose policy while extending relief while a humanitarian approach was required. “Families owing allegiance to tha BJP are being deliberately sidelined,” he added.

Bindal said, “Places like Sirmauri Tal, Barma Papri, Karaewala in Sirmaur district, Shamti in Solan, slaughter house and Fagli in Shimla, besides Kullu and Mandi districts have suffered colossal losses and land should be allotted to the affected families there.”

He said that it was lamentable that the government had failed to repair damaged roads owing to which the off-season vegetable and apple growers were facing problems in transporting their produce to the market. “The growers in Shimla district are forced to use pick-up vehicles to transport apple and they have purchased earth excavation machines to open roads on their own. The state government has failed to do its bid.”

Asked about the central aid, he said that the Centre was bearing losses suffered by the National Highways Authority of India, Border Roads Organisation and the Railways and the state government was expected to do its bit. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sanctioned 11,000 houses in two installments of 5,000 and 6,000 for the state in view of the calamity. The National Disaster Response Force as well as the State Disaster Response Force were also deputed to help the rain-hit people.”

The BJP president said that the Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways had visited the state to assess losses caused to roads.