Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Wednesday called on Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and urged him to expedite release of pending funds for effective disaster management in Himachal Pradesh.
Apprising Shah about the vulnerability of Himachal Pradesh to natural disasters, Sukhu requested him to release Rs 9,042 crore as financial assistance, which was recommended by a central team in a post-disaster assessment, a statement issued here said.
The assessment was carried out after the state witnessed one of its worst natural disasters during last year's monsoon, triggered due to excessive rain resulting in flash floods and landslides. He said the funds are pending with the ministry and they are required urgently as the monsoon has already arrived in the state.
The chief minister also informed Shah that Rs 61.07 crore under the State Disaster Response Fund for financial year 2019-20 as per the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission was due to the state. He also requested the home minister to grant speedy approval to a project worth Rs 125.84 crore submitted to the Union Ministry under National Disaster Mitigation Fund.
Sukhu underlined the need to set up national disaster response force (NDRF) campuses in the state and urged to begin their construction in Mandi, Rampur and Nalagarh. He also demanded appropriate action against unauthorised possession and encroachment on state government's land in the inter-state boundary between Lahaul Spiti and Ladakh at Sarchu and Shinkula.
Urges Gadkari to declare two Himachal roads as National Highways
Sukhu also urged Union Minister for Road Transport and National Highways Nitin Gadkari to declare the 39.20 km Ranital-Kotla and 41.50 km Ghumarwin-Jahu-Sarkaghat roads as National Highways. He also requested the release of Rs 172.97 crore for the restoration of various state roads damaged by flash floods and landslides during the last monsoon season. The affected roads include Kullu-Manali, Mandi-Kamand-Katola-Bajaura, and Chail-Gohar-Pandoh.
The requests were made during a review meeting of National Highway Projects chaired by Gadkari. Highlighting the importance of road transport in Himachal, Sukhu said that no new National Highways have been declared in the state for the past eight years. He said the restoration of these roads is crucial as they ease traffic congestion on National Highways and were vital during the monsoon season when many stretches of the Kullu-Manali Highway were damaged.
He stressed the importance of the Shimla-Mataur National Highway, which connects eight districts to the state capital and neighboring states. Sukhu requested uniform upgrades to four-lane standards and also said that 69 National Highways had been declared, with alignment reports for 58 NHs submitted for approval in 2018-19. He urged for a speedy review and approval of these reports.
In response, Gadkari assured appropriate action on the raised issues and directed contractors to ensure timely completion of works. State Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh was also present at the meeting.
