Himachal Pradesh is reviving itself from the devastating floods and landslides that caused chaos in the hill state for weeks throwing normal life out of gear and killing hundreds of people. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said that the state has suffered a loss of nearly Rs 12,000 crore and the government is trying to recover from one of the worst destruction events Himachal has ever witnessed. Sukhu, who was speaking to reporters after visiting the Golden Temple in Punjab's Amritsar, also said that around 450 people lost their lives in the rain-induced calamity in the state.
"The government is trying to recover from the devastation that has happened in Himachal Pradesh. Fortunately, no harm was caused to the tourists. Around 450 people lost their lives, and we suffered losses of over Rs 12,000 crore," he said. Sukhu added that the re-construction of roads has been done but the same would take some more time as far as villages are concerned.
Last week, CM Sukhu moved a resolution in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly under rule 102 on the first day of the session demanding the Centre to declare destruction caused by torrential rains in the state as a "national disaster." It was passed with a voice vote.
Later, slamming the opposition, the CM said that they say they did not denounce the resolution, but they did not even support it. "The Opposition is just playing politics on the issue of disaster," he added, as quoted by ANI.
In August this year, Sukhu, whose Congress government assumed power last December, stated that the recovery from the tragedy would take a year's time. He said the state is looking at a long year ahead as the downpours triggered destructive landslides throughout the region, obstructing roads and causing the collapse of numerous buildings.
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