Himachal Pradesh crisis: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to declare the natural calamity triggered due to the floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh as a National Disaster. Flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains had wreaked havoc in several parts of Himachal including Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and Solan districts in the months of July and August.
Congress shared the letter written to PM Modi by Gandhi on X (formerly known as Twitter) and said that the natural disaster in Himachal Pradesh has disrupted life there. Congress further stressed that the state government is engaged in relief work with full dedication, but if it is declared a national disaster by the central government, it will be very helpful in the reconstruction of Himachal Pradesh.
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"The women, farmers, employees, businesspersons and youth of Himachal are very hardworking and self-respecting. Today, the same people are facing an unprecedented crisis. Floods and landslides have caused massive destruction in the state," the Congress general secretary said in her letter to the prime minister.
"Recently, I met disaster victims in Shimla, Kullu, Manali and Mandi. It was very sad to see the devastation everywhere. So far, 428 people have lost their lives in this disaster. There are many people who lost all their family members in this disaster. The dead also include small children, who along with their mothers had gone to a Shiva temple early in the morning on the last Monday of 'Sawan'," she said.
Heavy rains wreaked havoc in Himachal
Since the onset of the monsoon on June 24 till September 12, the state has suffered losses of Rs 8,679 crore. According to the state emergency operation centre, about 270 people have died in rain-related incidents in the state.
During the monsoon season, as many as 165 landslides and 72 flash floods were reported.
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CM had urged PM to declare calamity a 'national disaster'
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who pegged the losses at Rs 12,000 crore, had already urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the calamity in the hill state a 'national disaster'.
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