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Himachal CM seeks land allocation, forest norm relaxation for disaster rehab
With 68% of Himachal Pradesh under forest cover, CM Sukhu urges Centre to relax norms and allow one bigha for rehabilitating disaster-hit families rendered homeless.
Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called on Union minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi urging him to allocate one bigha of land for the rehabilitation of disaster-affected families who have been rendered homeless and landless.
During the meeting on Friday evening, the chief minister apprised the Union minister of the extensive losses incurred by the state due to recent cloudbursts and heavy rains. He highlighted damage to buildings, infrastructure, roads, bridges, water supply schemes, and residential properties, as well as the loss of lives this monsoon.
With 68% of the state under forest cover, Sukhu emphasised the need to relax forest norms to facilitate the rehabilitation process.
Sukhu also discussed the issue of dredging in rivers and urged the Union minister to issue directions for the disposal of dredged material to prevent further disasters. He said that separate norms should be formulated for hill states given their difficult topography and needs.
He informed Yadav about the frequent recurrence of cloudbursts, leading to natural disasters and severe losses. He said that the issue had been discussed with Union home minister Amit Shah and that a team had visited the state to study the impact of climate change.
