DW BUREAU / Shimla

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday said the state government is ready to meet anyone under Union Minister JP Nadda's leadership for the welfare of disaster-affected people.

Sukhu met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi on Tuesday and demanded enhanced central aid for the state badly affected by flash floods and cloudbursts during the

monsoon season.

Talking to reporters after returning from New Delhi, Sukhu said that he met BJP National President Nadda and discussed with him about giving forest land to disaster affected people in lieu of the damaged land.

"There is no ego, we do not want any credit and the state government is ready to meet with anyone under his (Nadda) leadership for the welfare, rights and property of disaster-hit people of the state", he said. Sukhu said that during his New Delhi visit, he has taken up several key issues with the Union ministers, including a request to allow the allotment of five bighas land under Forest Rights Act, to rehabilitate the affected families suitably.

Himachal Pradesh has suffered losses of over Rs 883 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 20 till July 16. So far, 109 people have lost their lives, 64 in rain-related incidents and 45 in road accidents while 199 have been injured and 35 are missing.

A total of 1,084 houses have been fully and partially damaged besides 248 shops and agricultural lands.

The state has witnessed 31 flash floods, 22 cloudbursts, and 18 landslides this monsoon, according to the department.

The worst hit was Mandi district where cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides wreaked havoc on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1, claiming 15 lives while search is on for 27 missing people.

The CM said the state government would soon announce a special relief package for the disaster-affected families, after due consultation with the cabinet.

The Himachal Pradesh government has limited resources and it was not possible to compensate for the damages without liberal help from the Central government, he said.

Therefore, the state has sought for a special relief package from the Centre to support the rehabilitation of the families, who have lost their homes, agricultural land and livelihood, he added.

Sukhu said that he has also urged Amit Shah to visit the disaster-affected areas to assess the situation. The Union Home minister has assured Himachal CM that he will visit the affected areas shortly.

The CM said that Gadkari was apprised that companies coming from outside the state do straight cutting (90 degrees) of the mountains, endangering nearby houses and urged to take suggestions from local engineers while constructing National Highways in the state.

The Union minister has also assured compensation to the owner of the five-storey house that collapsed in Bhattakufar in the suburbs of Shimla city earlier this month, Sukhu said.

Ranjana Verma, the owner of the building, had lodged a complaint with the police accusing the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the company engaged in the four-lane construction work of negligence.

The CM said that the state government has also urged the Road Transport Ministry to focus on tunneling for constructing Shimla-Shalaghat package of Shimla-Mataur four lane, to faster implementation of the Nalagarh-Pinjore road and Nalagarh-Gara Maur project. Sukhu said he has also asked to extend the Dhalli-Sainj four lane

upto Rampur.

(editor@dailyworld.in)