Himachal Pradesh has been grappling with widespread devastation from this year’s monsoon rains, prompting the state government to seek approval from the Central government to allot one bigha of forest land to each family affected by the floods and landslides. This request comes as the state struggles to manage the massive scale of destruction.
A recent example of the ongoing crisis was a massive landslide that occurred in the Sirmaur district. Near Chaukar village in the Nauhradhar area, a large, 200-meter section of a hill collapsed, sending earth and boulders tumbling down the slope and narrowly avoiding a major tragedy. While five people who were present at the site are safe, five houses have now been declared in the danger zone. Visuals of the incident show trees and vegetation being swept away as onlookers raised alarms to warn others.
Extensive Financial Losses and Relief Measures
Since the monsoon arrived on June 20, the hill state has suffered total losses exceeding ₹3,690 crore. According to officials, the Public Works Department has accounted for damages of ₹2,252 crore, while the Jal Shakti Department reported a loss of ₹1,147 crore.
Speaking to reporters in Kullu after visiting the disaster-hit areas, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu described the monsoon as “causing widespread devastation, leading to heavy loss of lives and properties.” He stated that the state government is using its own limited resources for assistance and has received “no support… from the Central government so far.” In an effort to secure more funds, the state has prepared a ₹3,000-crore project to seek assistance from the World Bank for disaster management and rehabilitation of affected families.
To speed up the reconstruction process and aid distribution, the Chief Minister announced several key administrative changes:
- Deputy Commissioners have been empowered to approve new works under the MGNREGA scheme without waiting for prior approval from the gram sabha. An ex post facto clearance will be obtained later.
- Deputy Commissioners can now sanction all types of works, including land development projects, removing the previous limit of 20 works per gram panchayat.
- The financial ceiling for individual land development projects has been raised from ₹1 lakh to ₹2 lakh.
In light of the adverse weather and difficult road conditions, the state government also made the decision to cancel all upcoming examinations.