Addressing the 31st  meeting of the Northern Zonal Council, Chaired by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah at Amritsar, Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday urged to immediately resolve various issues related to the interests of Himachal with its neighboring states and to provide a special relief package.

He sought a special relief package to the disaster-affected Himachal, after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides and caused a loss of nearly  Rs. 12000 crore besides loss of 450 human lives. He said that the government was trying to recover from one of the worst destruction ever witnessed in which as many as 13,000 houses were completely damaged. The State Government with the help of the people of the State, immediately started relief and rescue operations during the disaster and now has taken up a task of rehabilitating the homeless. We have created Disaster Relief Fund-2023 for the same, he said.

Sukhu stressed for the amendment in the prevailing norms of disaster relief fund at the National and State level. These norms were currently affecting the reconstruction and rehabilitation process. The formula for providing compensation package for hilly states like Himachal having tough topography should be so amended. The parameters of providing financial assistance during disasters should be on a higher side and demanded practical amendments in these norms, remarked  Sukhu.

The CM thanked the Governments of Haryana and Rajasthan for extending financial assistance for carrying out relief and rehabilitation works.  He also sought co-operation from Punjab Government in handing over the 100 MW Shanan Hydroelectric project, as its lease period will expire in March 2024. A request has also been made to the Central Government in this regard.

Sukhu said that Himachal has always made its full contribution in Nation building and the people of the state had to suffer due to the construction of hydro power projects. He said that in view of Himachal's 7.19 percent share in the projects of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), there should be a regular full-time member in the BBMB Board of Directors. He urged for providing 12 percent free energy royalty to Himachal in BBMB projects and also advocated for increasing the royalty from existing 12 percent to 30 percent in the hydro power projects of central undertakings viz:  National Hydro Power Corporation, (NHPC) National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVNL). He also urged to get released the outstanding amount of Rs 4000 crore from BBMB as per the decision of the Supreme Court of India.

The CM stressed the need to use early warning system and get inundation mapping done before releasing water by reservoirs in the state. It was seen that during the recent disaster in the state, sudden release of huge amount of water from Pong Dam, Pandoh Dam and Parvati-3 reservoir caused widespread devastation even in the adjoining states. He said that it was the moral responsibility of the management of Hydel Projects to compensate for this loss and ensure voluntary participation in rehabilitation works.

In the meeting, the Himachal CM also demanded to resolve the border disputes with Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, pointing out that border disputes at Mohal Theka Dhar Padhri in Chamba district and Jammu and Kashmir and the Sarchu border dispute between Himachal and Ladakh were long pending and needs to be resolved at the earliest.