Himachal Pradesh to declare heavy rains as state calamity: CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu

Rules for spending the MLA Local Area Development Fund also relaxed for the construction of retaining walls and channelisation of drains

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 be issued on Friday. The state is also waiting for 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 PTI, the chief minister said rescue operations are going on in full swing and the state government is making efforts to help the affected families, especially those whose houses have been damaged in the flash floods and landslides, with its own resources.

"Central teams have inspected the affected areas for loss assessment and we need timely help from the Centre," Sukhu said, adding that the state has suffered an estimated loss of Rs 10,000 crore.

With the recovery of one more body from the rubble of a Shiv temple in Summer Hill, the death toll in rain-battered Himachal Pradesh has risen to 75. Out of these, 22 casualties were reported during three major landslides in Shimla alone --at the Shiva temple in Summer Hill, Fagli and Krishnanagar- SP, Shimla, Sanjeev Kumar Gandhi said.

About six people are still feared to be buried in the temple debris.

Since the onset of the monsoon on June 24, 217 persons have died in rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh and 11,301 houses have been partially or completely damaged, according to the state emergency operation centre.

A total of 506 roads are still closed in the state and 408 transformers and 149 water supply schemes have been disrupted.

Over the last three days, 2,074 people have been evacuated in flooded areas of Kangra district.

Sukhu has earlier said that the state will 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.

The MLAs would now be able to use their fund of Rs 2.10 crore per year for projects like construction of retaining walls and channelisation of drains.