Himachal govt to seek Centre’s nod to rehabilitate disaster-affected families on forest land: CM Sukhu
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said the state government will seek Centre’s nod to rehabilitate disaster-affected families on forest land as part of a one-time settlement policy.
On the second day of his visit to the disaster-affected areas of Seraj Assembly constituency, the CM visited Thunag, Bagsiad, Deji, Bara and Syanj villages and reviewed the damage caused by cloudbursts and assured the victims of all possible support from the state government. Eleven persons are still missing from Deji village, while four people died in the natural calamity in Syanj village.
“Since 68 per cent of land in Himachal Pradesh is forest land, the permission from the Central Government would be sought for rehabilitating the people on forest land,” he announced. The government was considering bringing a one-time settlement policy for resettling disaster-affected families, he added.
“The Cabinet will soon discuss and announce a special relief package for all those who have been affected due to this disaster,” he assured. He announced an immediate relief amount of Rs 7 crore for the affected areas, which includes Rs 2 crore for the Public Works and the Jal Shakti Departments, while Rs 1 crore would be provided to the Block Development Office to expedite restoration work. Rs 2 crore has already been released earlier, he said.
He also interacted with the people at Pakhrar Panchayat Ghar and directed the revenue officers to immediately assess all kinds of losses. He instructed that residential complexes that were still filled with silt or rocks or those deemed unsafe for living should be declared completely damaged so that maximum compensation could be provided to the people. He also assured that the government would compensate for damaged household goods and livestock as well.
He directed officials to expedite the restoration of roads and the resumption of disrupted water and electricity supply schemes to ensure quick relief. He also instructed officials to assess the damages suffered by the horticulturists.
Sukhu said that major roads have been reopened and efforts to restore village link roads were ongoing at a war footing. He appreciated the NCC cadet’s dedication and service towards the suffering humanity. School girls informed him about the damage to their school, to which he responded by promising to open a CBSE affiliated school in Thunag. He also interacted with SDRF personnel and commended their commitment.
He thanked all personnel from the Indian Army, NDRF, SDRF, Police, Home Guards and volunteers from various organisations for their selfless service during this crisis,
Himachal Tribune