Himachal Pradesh Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jai Ram Thakur Monday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged for concessions under the Forest Conservation Act so that displaced families in Mandi, the worst-hit district in the recent flash floods, can be resettled safely on alternative land.
The former chief minister also urged PM Modi to provide an area-specific relief package for rehabilitation and reconstruction, and sought to initiate a study to examine the root causes of recurring natural disasters in the state, in a bid to mitigate future losses.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has also been urging the Centre to relax rules and regulations under the Forest Conservation Act to rehabilitate the displaced families on forest land. The 1980 Act aims to regulate and restrict the de-reservation and use of forest land for non-forest purposes. It mandates prior approval from the central government for any relaxation in the rule.
During Monday’s meeting, which lasted around an hour, Thakur, who represents the Seraj Assembly constituency in Mandi, briefed PM Modi on the overall devastation caused by recent natural disasters in various parts of Himachal Pradesh. He said the PM took detailed stock of the damage and assured full support for rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts.
Thakur said he informed PM Modi that people had not only lost their homes but also their land, leaving them with nowhere to rebuild amid a disaster that caused losses exceeding Rs 1,200 crore across the state. Damages worth over Rs 1,000 crore were reported in Seraj constituency alone, he added.
On the night of June 30, 42 lives were lost in Seraj, Karsog, and Nachan following flash floods triggered by the cloudburst in Mandi, with Seraj alone accounting for 29 deaths. Over 500 homes were completely washed away, while another 1,000 houses sustained major damages. Thakur added that heavy damage was also reported in Nachan, Karsog, and Dharampur, where Syathi village was completely razed.
