Himachal CM Sukhu meets Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman; discusses interim relief for state

New Delhi [India], August 3 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Thursday met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Parliament House in connection to the natural disaster that hit the state and discussed interim relief for the region.

Talking to the media, CM Sukhu said, “I met the Union Home Minister and Finance Minister in regard to the natural disaster that occurred in Himachal Pradesh and discussed interim relief for the state.”

Earlier on Tuesday, CM Sukhu and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari jointly assessed the aftermath of the recent disaster that ravaged the Kullu district.

Both the leaders visited the flood-hit areas including Bada Bhuiyan, Deodhar, Shirad, Klath, and Aloo Ground Manali and interacted with the people affected by the calamity besides seeking insights into their concerns during this challenging time.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, “People have suffered immensely and the situation was even worse than they would have imagined otherwise. There has been unprecedented damage to the roads, bridges and private property due to flash floods, landslides and cloudbursts triggered by heavy rains. He said that Rs 400 crore will be released by the Union Government under Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) so that repair and restoration works can be undertaken on a war footing.”

Meanwhile, on July 23,  CM Sukhu, said that the state has faced the harshest rain and flood disasters in the past 75 years. He also said that the loss incurred by the state due to the rain-induced damages could reach 8,000 crore rupees.

The Chief Minister said there is a need for immediate financial relief from the Union Government.

“The central team has visited the state. We have demanded the pending 315 crore rupees of the 2022-23 disaster fund from the Union Government. The loss is estimated to be 8,000 Crore rupees. We are trying to restore the roads, electricity and water supply in the region,” said the Chief Minister while talking to the media.

The Chief Minister said that Himachal need immediate relief from the Union Government in this disaster situation. On the continuous heavy rain alert, he said teams are ready and the priority is to save the lives of the people.

The CM accused the former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur of playing politics at the time of the disaster.

“It is not right to say that the disaster relief money has been given by the union government. I don’t want to answer Jai Ram Thakur. He is doing politics on it. But I would request him that we should go all together with all parties to get the first installment of disaster relief to Himachal Pradesh,” Sukhu said. (ANI)