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₹800-cr disaster management plan on cards, says Himachal CM Sukhu
The chief minister added that the fund will be used for mitigating impact of future disasters and enhancing the state’s resilience
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who visited Lalpani, Shimla, late Tuesday evening to take stock of the damages caused landslide said the state government is mulling a ₹800-crore long-term disaster management plan to mitigate the impact of disasters in future.
Interacting with media, he said that timely response of the district administration has reduced the damages significantly as persons living in these houses had already been evacuated.
The CM said that over 60 lives were lost on Monday due to heavy rains throughout the state and the number is likely to rise.
The impact was most severe in Shimla, and farmers in Fatehpur, Kangra, suffered crop losses. Mandi district faced substantial damage due to the heavy rainfall, he said.
Emphasising the need to fortify urban drainage systems, Sukhu said that proper water management was important to prevent hill destabilisation.
State government was poised to develop a comprehensive plan to bolster drainage systems and integrate sound structural design principles for construction, he added.
The state government is preparing a comprehensive, long-term disaster preparedness plan, earmarking around ₹800 crore for its implementation, which was aimed at mitigating the impact of future disasters and enhancing the state’s resilience, said Sukhu.
In response to the ongoing disaster, the CM expressed disappointment in the leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur for engaging in political maneuvers during this critical time.
He said that the state government was focusing firmly on relief and rescue operations and questioned the appropriateness of demanding a special session of the Vidhan Sabha at this juncture. He assured that the state government was committed to holding a 10-day session and he was reducing his own security cover to ensure that sufficient police personnel are available for disaster response efforts.
Principal advisor (media) to the CM Naresh Chauhan, OSD Ritesh Kapret, Shimla mayor Surender Chauhan, deputy commissioner Aditya Negi and other senior officers were also present on the occasion.
