Himachal State Government and People Demand National Disaster Status

Himachal Pradesh, August 28: Himachal Pradesh is currently grappling with a very serious situation. Unfortunately, there isn’t a single district where there hasn’t been any personal or government-related loss. The Chief Minister has assigned ministers the responsibility of assessing the damages in each district. The Deputy Commissioner of Bilaspur assessed the damages in the district. So far, around 1.5 billion rupees have been distributed to the affected individuals. The remaining report is being compiled. Minister of Public Works Department, Vikramaditya, who visited the affected areas, stated that this is a time of calamity. They neither want to indulge in politics nor will they let anyone else do it.

Not only the state government but also the people are now contemplating why, despite losses of around 10 billion rupees and the deaths of nearly 300 individuals, this calamity has not been declared a national disaster. This is a significant question. If the earthquakes in Bhuj and the disaster in Kedarnath were declared national disasters, then why not this one? BJP’s National President, JP Nadda, Central Minister Anurag Thakur, and the state’s BJP representative, Jairam Thakur, need to raise their voices before the central government with full force to declare this disaster as a national calamity.

Himachal Pradesh should release an additional package of at least 10 billion rupees under the national disaster category to provide relief to its people. Vikramaditya mentioned that he had also brought up the issue of illegal mining taking place in the state. The CM took this seriously and initiated action. Another significant reason for this disaster is that most of the roads in the state do not have culverts or outlets for rainwater. People do not allow culverts and drains to be built near their homes. Due to this, there is no proper outlet for rainwater, resulting in losses. Vikramaditya stated that after the rain stops, they will assess all the roads and allocate funds to build culverts and drains.

Minister of Public Works Department, Vikramaditya, expressed gratitude for the allocation of a 26.43 billion rupee package by the Central Government for the Prime Minister’s Rural Roads Scheme. He mentioned that this package was provided to the state when it needed it the most.