Himachal is pinning its hopes on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Kangra tomorrow for getting a special financial package from the Central Government.
Modi will not only have an aerial view of the disaster-hit areas of Himachal but will also hold a meeting with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and senior officials of the state government to get an idea of the extent of damage caused during the past three months of the monsoon season. Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur will also attend the meeting.
“It is natural that when the Prime Minister visits any state, the local government and people have high expectations.
I am hopeful that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will give Himachal a special relief package needed to tackle the devastation caused by heavy rain,” said Sukhu while talking to mediapersons here today.
He added that the state government and the Vidhan Sabha had already urged the Central Government to declare the monsoon losses as a national disaster so that liberal aid for undertaking relief and restoration work could be provided to the state.
All seven BJP MPs from Himachal had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to seek special assistance for Himachal.
Sukhu said that the Prime Minister would have an aerial survey of the damage caused. “When the Prime Minister will have an aerial look at the rain damage, he will get an exact idea of the losses suffered by the state.
A detailed presentation will be made to him on the damage suffered by the state due to unprecedented heavy rain so that the Central Government could provide relief,” he added.
The Chief Minister said that so far, Himachal had suffered over Rs 5,000 crore losses, with the maximum damage caused to the highways of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) while the state roads had also been badly damaged.
He added that it would not only take a lot of money but also time to restore the damaged infrastructure in the state.
All arrangement have been made for the Prime Minister’s visit. While Jai Ram Thakur has already reached Dharamsala, Sukhu will be reaching there today.
Sukhu said, “Many roads, power and water supply schemes have suffered extensive damage. Many hydroelectric power projects have also suffered massive damage and are submerged under water.”
So far, 370 persons have died during the ongoing monsoon season and 41 are missing. Besides, 747 roads, including three National Highways, are still closed for vehicular traffic, while 472 water supply schemes and 959 power transformers have been damaged due to heavy rain.