222 deaths, Rs 700 crore loss in Himachal Pradesh due to rains

The death toll due to rain-related incidents in Himachal Pradesh has risen to 222, while the total cumulative loss to the state is estimated to be a whopping Rs 700 crores.

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh):Heavy rains in the state have led to 222 people losing their lives in rain related incidents, while the total cumulative loss to the state due to natural disasters is estimated to be a whopping Rs 700 crores. The Himachal Government has already sent a report to the Centre to compensate for the loss and is looking forward for assistance. However, the Central Government has not been able to compensate for the loss due to rains on time, and hence the State Government has to compensate for the losses from its own treasury. Every year though a loss report is sent by the state government to the Centre, not much assistance is provided.

It is known that farmers and the horticulture department in Himachal have suffered huge losses due to drought and hailstorms. On behalf of the state government, an amount of four and a half crores and five crores were respectively released to the concerned departments. Also, in lieu of the drought situation, Rs 25 crore has been released to the Jal Shakti Department. To compensate for the damage caused by drought and hailstorm, the state government had also urged the Centre to release a relief amount of Rs 645 crore. However, no amount has been received till date.

Read:Situation in Himachal due to heavy rains is being closely monitored: PM Modi

In the past five years, the monsoon rains have caused a loss of crores of rupees in the state and around 1009 people lost their lives due to rain related incidents. In 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020, around 75, 343, 307 and 284 people have respectively died in the state during monsoons, while 222 people died during the current monsoon season so far.

Apart from this, there was a loss of Rs 914.05 crore in the state during the year 2017, Rs 1594.01 crore in 2018, Rs 1224.77 crores in 2019 and Rs 865.19 crores in 2020, while in the current monsoon so far the state has suffered a loss of 700 crores. It is the Public Works Department that has suffered the worst during the monsoon in the state as the roads get badly damaged due to rain and landslides.

Read:Monsoon arrives in Himachal Pradesh; rains in most parts of state