With the Opposition and ruling Congress in a ward of words on disaster relief in the state, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday said the Central government gave Rs 633.73 crore to the state for disaster relief against the loss of Rs 9,905 crore mentioned in the memorandum of losses.

Making a suo moto statement in the Vidhan Sabha, Sukhu said the relief of Rs 633.73 crore, including the interim relief of Rs 200 crore, has been sanctioned by the Centre under the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) which was too inadequate to cover for the losses.

He said that the Central government had released Rs 397.78 crore on December 19.  "Even if the relief was calculated at the minimum rates, the amount would have been Rs 1,658 crore," said Sukhu, adding that the state government was expecting a relief of Rs 2,000 crore but even the NDRF norms were not followed.

Sukhu said that the state government had mentioned losses of Rs 9,905 crore in the memorandum of losses sent to the Centre on September 23, 2023. He added that the report of the post-disaster need assessment conducted by the state in coordination with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) pegging losses at Rs 9,020 crore was also sent to the Central government on November 25, 2023.

The CM said that he did not expect any special package from the Centre but would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in this regard soon. He alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs were scared of meeting the prime minister and the home minister.  He said that over 500 persons lost their lives due to heavy rains but adequate relief was not given.

Leader of the Opposition, Jai Ram Thakur, while objecting to the chief minister's statement said that the state government, which has raised loans worth Rs 12,000 crore, was trying to blame the Centre with an eye on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.  The state government has not uttered a single word of thanks for the Central government, said Thakur, adding such an attitude does not augur well for seeking help in future.

BJP stages walkout over closure of stone crushers

Dissatisfied with the reply of the state government on the closure of stone crushers, the opposition on Wednesday staged a walkout in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly.  Frayed tempers were seen as heated exchanges ensued between the treasury and opposition benches. Intervening in the matter, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu explained the reasons for closing the stone crushers.

As soon as Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania called for the next question, the BJP members accused the government of giving incomplete information, started raising slogans and staged a walkout. Sukhu said that the government was planning to mop up revenue of Rs 5 crore from mining and proposed to amend the existing mining policy as it was allegedly causing a loss of revenue.  During the monsoon, a decision was taken to close 128 stone crushers in Beas basin but there was no revenue loss as closure of stone crushers during the rainy season till September 15 was a normal practice, he said.

Referring to the increase in the rate of grit and sand, Sukhu said that the government was considering adding the cost of sand and stones in the cost of construction.   Bikram Singh Thakur and Bipin Singh Parmar (both BJP), dubbed the decision of the government as "anti-people". They alleged that it not only compelled the people to pay higher prices, but also rendered 1,600 people jobless.