Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said a central team will soon be visiting the hill state to assess the damage occurred due to the recent cloudbursts and flashfloods in the state. The disaster has already caused destruction worth nearly ₹1,000 crore, even though the monsoon has just begun.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Tuesday, Sukhu said “A discussion was held with the Home Minister regarding the disaster that struck Himachal Pradesh. The disaster has caused significant damage. The Home Minister stated that he will personally visit Himachal Pradesh in the coming days. He has instructed the official concerned that there is a need to study the cloudburst incidents. A central team will soon visit Himachal Pradesh to study the cloudburst and the damage caused by the disaster. I have also raised the issue of a special relief package, and the Home Minister said that it would be considered after the central team visit.”
Sukhu apprised Shah that the state has lost several precious lives and suffered serious damage to its important infrastructure such as roads, bridges, government buildings, water and irrigation systems, power and electricity lines. He urged the Centre to provide urgent support for relief and rebuilding efforts.
Sukhu highlighted that since 2023, Himachal has been suffering year after year due to natural disasters, with cumulative losses now touching approximately ₹21,000 crore. The state government has been doing whatever it can to provide relief to the disaster-hit people through SDRF and NDRF funds, but repeated natural disasters have stretched its resources thin, he further added.
Sukhu also met Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to discuss national highway projects in the state. “We had a discussion with Union Minister Nitin Gadkari regarding the National Highway and NHAI. We have asked the minister that, as a disaster has hit the state, we should get funds under the Central Road Fund (CRF). The minister has said that he will consider all the issues,” Sukhu added.
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