Day 2 of U’khand assembly: Oppn seeks hike in relief for disaster-affected areas - Hindustan Times
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Day 2 of U’khand assembly: Oppn seeks hike in relief for disaster-affected areas

ByNeeraj Santoshi I Edited by Shilpa Ambardar, Dehradun
Nov 30, 2022 07:33 PM IST

Congress MLA Harish Singh Dhami raised the issues related to disaster management and dealing with the damages to bridges and other structures in his constituency Dharchula in Pithoragarh.

The Congress-led Opposition legislators on Wednesday raised multiple issues related to natural disasters in Uttarakhand, including victims getting “meagre compensation compared to the losses they incur”, “delays and difficulties” in compensation, during the second day of Assembly’s winter session.

Discussion on disaster-related issues was held under Rule 58 (calling attention motion). (Rajeev Kala/HT Photo)
Discussion on disaster-related issues was held under Rule 58 (calling attention motion). (Rajeev Kala/HT Photo)

Discussion on disaster-related issues was held under Rule 58 (calling attention motion).

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Congress MLA Harish Singh Dhami raised the issues related to disaster management and dealing with the damages to bridges and other structures in his constituency Dharchula in Pithoragarh. He said, “In several cases, the kin of people killed in natural disasters have not received compensation even after one or two years of the calamity”.

Deputy leader of the Opposition Bhuwan Kapri urged the government “to increase the compensation amount being provided to the disaster-affected people”.

Congress MLA Vikram Singh Negi spoke about crop damage due to unseasonal rains and “ how farmers have incurred huge losses.”

Congress MLA from Haldwani Sumit Hridayesh said, “Non-cleaning of the drains can also lead to flooding in some areas and this issue needs to be addressed. Early warning systems like those used in other countries should be set up in the state to avert major tragedies.”

Congress MLA from Jaspur, US Nagar, Adesh Singh Chauhan spoke about “how a seasonal stream was leading to the caving in of the agricultural land. Congress MLA from Hardwar rural Anupama Rawat said, “The disaster-affected people are facing difficulties in getting the losses assessed for compensation by the revenue officials”.

“Uttarakhand is a disaster-prone and every year many people incur huge losses.The compensation being provided to disaster-affected people is less and I urge the government to increase the same,” Congress MLA Pritam Singh said. He also urged the state government not to recover the loans taken by people in the disaster-affected areas of the state for some time.

Reacting to the issues raised, Cabinet minister Premchand Aggarwal said, “The state government is serious towards disaster-related issues and is doing its best as per the resources available”. He said there is a provision of 1600 crore in the state’s disaster funds for dealing with disaster-related issues. “The state government has formed a new rehabilitation policy for the disaster affected in 2021, according to which even families residing separately in the same house are considered for compensation separately,” he said.

On early warning systems, he said, “The state government has been writing to the central government on this issue on a regular basis”. He said as part of the disaster mitigation and preparedness, three Doppler radars, 168 seismic sensors and 167 automatic weather stations have been set up across the state

Uttarakhand has reported over 7,700 extreme rainfall events since 2015 and nearly 2,000 major landslides since 2015. Experts point out that such geological and extreme weather events have been happening in the region for millions of years, but now due to the proximity of people to such events, the loss of life and property has increased and many changes have been aggravated by climate change. The Himalayas being the youngest mountain chain in the world, which is still rising due to Indian plate folding under the Tibetan plate, the region reports high seismic activity, with most areas falling under Seismic Zones IV and V, said experts. Earthquakes, coupled with fragile slopes and loose rocks on many areas, create landslides from time to time, especially during monsoons with heavy showers lashing slopes, said the experts.

At present, there are no early warning systems that can alert people downstream to vacate the river area in case of events like lake bursts or flash floods due to landslides. Nearly 90% of the state is hilly and over the last few decades, urbanisation, development projects, and road building have not only changed the look of the Himalayan landscape but has also increased the presence of people in higher reaches, many of which are prone to disasters.

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