Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday donated personal ‘savings’ of ₹51 lakh to disaster relief in his flood hit state. Himachal Pradesh is slowly finding its feet again after a furious battering by relentless rains during the ongoing monsoon. Many lives were lost and massive damage caused to infrastructure.
The Chief Minister and his wife Kamlesh Thakur presented a cheque of ₹51 lakh to Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena in Shimla.
“I understand the pain of the people and their plight during the recent monsoon fury. Several precious lives were lost and many rendered homeless, besides huge losses caused to property,” he said.
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“The people of Himachal have stood together to face the catastrophe. Every section of society contributed to the relief fund. Even children broke their piggy banks to help those in distress, elders parted with their pension and State government employees contributed generously from their salary to the ‘Aapda Rahat Kosh’ (Disaster Relief Fund),” he said.
Relentless monsoon rains, cloud bursts, flash floods, and landslides, caused the deaths of 400 people and damaged over 13,000 houses. Thousands of families are homeless. The State suffered losses exceeding ₹12,000 crore, according to government estimates.
Meanwhile, Congress party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking the Union government to declare the natural calamity that hit Himachal Pradesh a ‘national disaster’.
Earlier this week, Ms. Gandhi and Mr. Sukhu visited flood-hit areas of the State and interacted with disaster-affected people. In her letter, Ms. Gandhi urged the Centre to provide financial assistance so victims could get relief and the process of rebuilding could begin.
