Himachal Pradesh facing financial crisis, will meet PM for funds: Jai Ram Thakur

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur today asked the state government to announce a special financial package for disaster-hit Seraj, Nachan and Karsog areas and other parts of Mandi district, which had suffered an estimated over Rs 1,235 crore loss, including Rs 1,000 crore in Seraj alone. “Considering the financial constraints faced by the state government, the Central Government must extend financial help for which I will personally meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. An inter-ministerial high-level team from the Central Government has visited Mandi to assess the damage caused,” he added.

Thakur, while addressing mediapersons here, said project specific aid should be given to ensure proper utilisation of funds. He expressed anguish over the non-seriousness of the state government in dealing with such a huge disaster that had claimed 42 lives and wiped off many villages in Mandi district on the night of June 30. “I am pained that the state government has so far not taken the tragedy seriously,” he added.

Thakur said that 42 persons had died, 29 were still missing while thousands of villagers had been rendered homeless. He returned to the state capital for the first time after cloudbursts and flashfloods hit Seraj, Nachan and Karsog areas of Mandi district. He said that it was unfortunate that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu tried to politicise the disaster by saying that “I should stay in Seraj for 10 days”.

He said, “It is my moral responsibility to share the grief of my people with whom I have an emotional connect for the past 30 years. I have devoted a major portion of my life building Seraj. The Revenue Minister’s statements that one understands other’s pain only when his own shoe hurts is very unfortunate.” He added that considering the scale of damage, a senior officer should have been deputed to Seraj but only a Patwari was there.

Thakur said project specific aid should be given to ensure proper utilisation of funds. “I am pained that the state government has so far not taken the tragedy seriously,” he added.

Thakur also took exception to the efforts by the state government to shift offices and institutes, including the Horticulture College and the Panchayati Raj Training Institute, out of Seraj after the rain disaster. “When Shimla suffered massive damage in 2023, was the state capital shifted,” he added.