‘Harsh steps needed to curb construction activity’, says Sukhvinder Singh sukhu, Himachal Pradesh CM

Himachal Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu says his government is faced with the challenge of providing relief and rehabilitation in the wake of the rain disaster, in an interview with Pratibha Chauhan. At the same time, some harsh steps such as restricting construction along rivers, checking illegal buildings and regulating mining will have to be taken to ensure public safety. Excerpts:

Are you hopeful that the Central Government will help Himachal to deal with devastation caused by heavy rain?

The damage caused to infrastructure is huge and only a special financial package can help the state. The interim relief was too meager to meet our requirements. The Central Government must declare the rain disaster in the state as a national calamity or else provide a special package as was done in the case of Kedarnath floods or Bhuj earthquake. Rebuilding damaged roads, bridges, water supply projects and power supply lines is a huge challenge. We have already declared the rain fury as a state calamity.

It would have been better had the Central Government provided more interim relief. It had provided only Rs 200 crore so far and advanced Rs 180 crore, which was due in December 2023. However, only a special financial package can provide a healing touch.

What is the extent of damage caused?

The damage caused due to the rain disaster has so far been pegged at around Rs 9,000 crore but this figure will eventually go up to Rs 20,000 crore. We have mobilised all our resources to provide relief but with a debt burden of over Rs 75,000 crore, we are finding it difficult to meet the challenge.

Our revenue from the GST and the sale of liquor has dipped. Our economy was already battered due to the Covid pandemic and now the monsoon fury has dealt a severe blow to it. The occupancy rate in hotels is almost zero.

Do you feel that the Centre is reluctant to announce a special package for the Congress-ruled Himachal?

I disagree. A Central team has already visited the state to assess the damage caused and I am hopeful that the Central Government will provide liberal assistance. I firmly believe that it is wrong to do politics over the disaster. During this hour of crisis we all must join hands to provide succour to people and expedite the relief and restoration work.

Do you think unauthorised construction is one of the reasons for landslides causing large-scale damage in Shimla?

Yes, unauthorised construction is also a reason for landslides in Shimla. The biggest problem is that the free flow of nullahs has been blocked due to unauthorised construction and it is at such places landslides have occurred.

We will ensure that construction is strictly regulated and no deviation from the norms will be tolerated. In fact, we will make the official concerned, who approves a building map, accountable in case any violation or deviation is found later.

What factors do you think were responsible for the collapse of buildings and large-scale damage in Shimla?

Where the strata is soft we will have to restrict the number of storeys of a building to one or two. So, we cannot restrict construction locality-wise or area-wise but according to strata. For this, we will get a geological study done.

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