Jai Ram to meet Prime Minister, seek special package for Seraj

Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur has said that he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to request him for a special financial package for Seraj that has been devastated by cloudbursts and flashfloods.

In an interview with The Tribune, Thakur said that he had spoke on the issue with Central Government leaders like Home Minister Amit Shah, Health Minister JP Nadda, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar and a few others. Now, he would seek time from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to meet him in New Delhi soon and request him for a special financial package for rebuilding disaster-hit Seraj.

Thakur said that massive destruction to homes, agriculture, horticulture and floriculture had crippled the livelihoods of people and called for urgent Central Government support for rehabilitation and reconstruction. He added that 30,000 residents of disaster-affected Seraj were facing a drinking water crisis because of massive damage to the supply infrastructure. However, temporary arrangements had been made. Around 15 panchayats were still reeling under darkness without power supply since June 30.

Similarly, 18 bridges were damaged, snapping road connectivity. It took three decades to build Seraj, which was devastated completely by cloudbursts and flashfloods.

Accompanied by Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, Rajya Sabha MP Sikander Kumar, Balh MLA Inder Singh Gandhi, BJP state general secretary Bihari Lal and party spokesperson Ajay Rana, the former Chief Minister visited several disaster-affected areas. The leaders distributed relief materials and met with families devastated by the flashfloods and landslides.

Anurag distributed schoolbags, books, notebooks and stationery kits to the children of the affected families in several schools, including Government Senior Secondary School at Bagsyad and Thunag; Saraswati Vidya Mandir at Bagsyad and Him Valley Private School, Thunag.

Thakur made an emotional appeal to both Anurag and Sikander Kumar to contribute from their MPLAD funds to support rehabilitation efforts in Seraj. He also thanked generous donors from the state who had come forward to help. He stressed the need for an official list of the affected families so that aid could be directed appropriately and transparently.

Thakur said that while the government figures showed 350 fully damaged houses, the ground reality suggested that over 600 homes were completely destroyed and more than 1,000 houses were partially damaged abd were unsafe to live in. He urged the state government to reclassify such homes as fully damaged to ensure the payment of a fair compensation. He also called for land allotment to families whose homes and plots were washed away.

Thakur said that many farmers had taken loans under the Kisan Credit Card scheme but the rain disaster wiped out their entire land and livelihood. He appealed to the state government to waive these loans to protect them from the double blow of the nature’s fury and the mounting debt.

He also urged parents and schools to ensure the safety of children returning to attend classes considering the ongoing monsoon season.

Himachal Tribune