Himachal Pradesh will declare heavy rainfall a state calamity says CM Sukhu

The Himachal Pradesh government has decided to declare the massive damage caused by heavy rains as a state calamity, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Friday. He said a notification in this regard would also be issued. The state is also awaiting a response from the Centre to declare the disaster in Himachal Pradesh as a national calamity.
Heavy rains have lashed the hill state since Sunday, triggering landslides in several districts, including Shimla. Talking to reporters, the Chief Minister said rescue operations have been undertaken and are “in full swing.” CM Sukhu also added that the state government is making efforts to help families affected by the weather conditions, especially those whose houses have been damaged in the several flash floods and landslides in the state. Himachal Pradesh will provide relief for these families with its own resources, he stated. “Central teams have inspected the affected areas for loss assessment and we need timely help from the Centre,” Sukhu said, adding the state has suffered an estimated loss of Rs 10,000 crore. With the recovery of yet another body from the rubble of the Shiv temple in Summer Hill, the death toll in rain-battered Himachal Pradesh rose to 75 on Thursday. Of these, 22 deaths were caused by three major landslides in Shimla alone—at the Shiva temple in Summer Hill, in Fagli and in Krishnanagar—Shimla Superintended Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said.
About six persons are still feared buried in the temple debris. Since the onset of the monsoon this year on 24 June, 217 persons have died in rain-related incidents in the state while a total of 11,301 houses have been partially or completely damaged, according to data from the state emergency operation centre. A total of 506 roads are still closed across the state while 408 transformers and 149 water supply schemes have been disrupted. Over the last three days, 2,074 people have been evacuated from flooded areas of the Kangra district. Chief Minister Sukhu had earlier this week stated that the state would take a year to rebuild the infrastructure damaged by the heavy rains this monsoon. The state government on Thursday relaxed conditions for spending the MLA local area development fund. This has allowed state legislators to now use their funds—which amount to Rs 2.10 crore per year—for restoration projects such as the construction of retaining walls and the channelisation of drains.

Chhattisgarh CM announces Rs 11 crore aid for HP
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Friday announced the provision of a financial aid amount of Rs 11 crore to Himachal Pradesh, where heavy rains and landslides have wreaked havoc, a government official in state capital Raipur said. Baghel on Thursday spoke to his Himachal Pradesh counterpart Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu over the phone, taking stock of the situation in the hill state and extending his state’s support to deal with the disaster at hand, he said. In a statement issued on Friday, Chief Minister Baghel said, “A severe natural calamity has hit the ‘Devbhoomi’ (land of gods) Himachal Pradesh and in such a situation, people of Chhattisgarh are standing with the people of the northern state.” The CM said he has announced the release of Rs 11 crore on behalf of the people of Chhattisgarh to the Himachal Pradesh government for the relief and rehabilitation of victims of the disaster.