Tharali MlA Dr Jeet Ram said that infrastructure like government buildings including schools, panchayat bhawans, roads, security walls, and others with an estimated value of around Rs 200 crore were lost in June disaster in his constituency.
The State Government has spent only Rs 15 crore in the form of compensation to the aggrieved families whose homes had been destroyed or damaged. There is immediate need for rehabilitation of eight villages with around 70 families in his constituency.
He would soon meet the Chief Minister for rehabilitation of eight villages and building of infrastructure in his constituency. As most of the villagers have lost all sources of earning in June disaster and the backward State of the region, he would demand from the chief minister to declare Chamoli district a backward area like Uttarkashi.
The Tharali MlA said that he had recently inspected the disaster affected areas of his constituency and found eight villages including Kawer, Dharadi, Chhapli, Jula, Dergoan and Nasir Bazaar were destroyed in the disaster. The residents of eight villages with 70 families will have to be rehabilitated immediately. In other disaster affected areas, some residents lost their homes and boundary walls while some lost their occupation.
The state government had recently released around Rs 15 crore in the form of compensation to the affected persons which was distributed among intended beneficiaries by the district officers. “We have spent around Rs 80 lakh from MlA local area development fund for providing basic amenities to the residents in the constituency,” he added. Dr Jeet Ram said that villagers here are left in the lurch as their agricultural fields have been washed away and tourism activities have come to a halt after the disaster.
Most of rural residents in Tharali have no means of earning their daily bread particularly after the deluge in June and they need support from the State. As most of the villagers have lost livelihood so he would request the CM to take steps for promoting small scale industry in the region. He further said that Chamoli district shared boundary with Tibet (China) and is considered a sensitive region but this district is lacking in basic infrastructure. The socio-economic condition of the residents in this region is poor. So State government must declare the area as backward and provide adequate means of livelihood to the locals there, the MlA added.