Himachal Speaker meets flood-hit families

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania visited Cheli village under Raipur gram panchayat in Bhattiyat Assembly constituency to meet the families affected by the May 4 flash flood that claimed the life of a shepherd and swept away over 100 goats. During his visit, he assured the victims of all possible support from the state government and distributed relief cheques to 10 affected families.

The tragic incident occurred when Amar Singh, a 65-year-old shepherd and resident of Cheli village, was swept away in a sudden surge of water while trying to save his goats when the water level in the stream he was camping near rose after incessant rains.

As the goats were being carried away by the current, Amar Singh jumped into the stream in an attempt to rescue them but was overpowered by the strong flow and drowned.

Pathania visited the bereaved family to offer condolences and moral support, and also listened to the grievances of other local residents, resolving many issues on the spot. Responding to demands from villagers, he instructed the Executive Engineer of Jal Shakti Department to immediately begin work on reconstructing the main source of the local drinking water scheme, which was damaged in the flood.

He also directed panchayat representatives to expedite the work of paving internal roads and paths in Cheli village. Later, while visiting Gagahar village, Pathania also reviewed the upgradation work of the connecting road to Darmadi village under the Rural Development Department and gave directions to bring it under the Public Works Department for better maintenance.

The Speaker sought the local administration to accelerate relief and rehabilitation efforts in the remote, disaster-prone region where health services remain crippled due to a chronic shortage of both medical and paramedical staff.

Chowari SDM Paras Agrawal, DSP Yogesh Kumar, officials from Public Works and Jal Shakti Departments were also present among others.

Himachal Tribune