Himachal CM Demands Special Relief Package, Amendment in Disaster Relief Norms at Northern Zonal Council Meeting

Amritsar, September 26, 2023:

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu urged the Central Government to immediately provide a special relief package to the disaster-affected state and to amend the norms for providing relief packages to hilly states at the 31st meeting of the Northern Zonal Council, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, at Amritsar on Wednesday.

Sukhu said that heavy rains triggered floods and landslides in the state, causing a loss of nearly Rs. 12,000 crore and claiming the lives of 450 people. He added that the government was trying to recover from one of the worst calamities ever witnessed in the state.

The Chief Minister also stressed for an amendment in the prevailing norms of disaster relief funds at the national and state levels, saying that these norms were currently affecting the reconstruction and rehabilitation process. He demanded a practical amendment in the formula for providing compensation packages to hilly states like Himachal, which have tough topography.

Sukhu thanked the Governments of Haryana and Rajasthan for extending financial assistance to the state, but urged the Central Government to provide a special relief package to Himachal Pradesh.

He also sought the Centre’s intervention in resolving the border disputes between Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Chief Minister also demanded a regular member from Himachal Pradesh in the Board of Directors of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB), and urged the Centre to provide 12 percent free energy royalty to Himachal Pradesh in BBMB projects. He 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).

Sukhu also urged the Centre to release the outstanding amount of Rs 4000 crore from BBMB as per the decision of the Supreme Court of India.

The Chief Minister also stressed the need to use an early warning system and get inundation mapping done before releasing water by reservoirs in the state. He said that it was the moral responsibility of the management of Hydel Projects to compensate for the loss caused by the sudden release of huge amounts of water from Pong Dam, Pandoh Dam and Parvati-3 reservoir during the recent disaster in the state.