HLP seeks relief for rain-hit victims on par with U'khand

The Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) on Wednesday demanded monetary relief for the victims of heavy rains in Himachal, especially in Kinnaur district equal to that of Uttarakhand.

The Himachal Lokhit Party (HLP) on Wednesday demanded monetary relief for the victims of heavy rains in Himachal, especially in Kinnaur district equal to that of Uttarakhand.

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HLP state president Maheshwar Singh said rain poured havoc in Himachal and Uttarakhand in June. Though loss of life was more in Uttarakhand, but rain caused a huge loss of property in Himachal also and 52 people were killed.

Underlining the disparity in relief work in Uttarakhand and Himachal, he said the state government should take up the issue with the Centre for liberal monetary relief to the victims of incessant rain in the state.

"Financial assistance to victims of rain-hit areas in Himachal is very less than that of Uttarakhand," he said.

In Uttarakhand, families of persons killed were getting Rs 3 lakh, while in Himachal, the kin were getting only Rs 1.5 lakh, he added.

Singh, who is legislator from Kullu, appreciated the government to amend the Land Reform Act. He said the previous government had amended this Act in 2012. "The BJP had made such provisions according to which mutation could be done in the office of the tehsildar," he said. This decision had deprived co-sharer and other from raising any objection, he added.

He said "Benami" deals' were executed during this period and this amendment could have helped them, adding that a probe should be held to inquire those deals in detail.

He demanded a policy to regularise encroachments by common people on the government land. He said during the BJP regime from 1998 to 2003, the government had asked people to submit affidavit about their encroachments in the government land and promised to regularise it.

Later, on the intervention of courts, the government had to vacate the encroachments. "The government should come forward with a concrete policy to regularise encroachments done by common people," he said, adding that giants were always skipped and common people had to suffer.

The Congress government has given permission to 18 builders. "Our party will go into details and decide further plan of action," he said.