Himachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri met Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Tuesday and urged him to extend financial assistance for the restoration of water supply and irrigation projects damaged during heavy rains in the state. He apprised the Union minister about the unprecedented loss suffered by the state due to heavy rains, cloudbursts and flash floods. Agnihotri said that the damage to the Jal Shakti Department was pegged at around Rs 1,630 crore.
He urged the Union government to release Rs 500 crore for the restoration and retrofitting of the damaged projects under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). The deputy chief minister also said projects under JJM which have been damaged completely should be considered afresh and funds should be released accordingly.
Shekhawat assured Agnihotri of taking up the issue with the Finance Ministry and the Union Cabinet so that requisite assistance could be provided. Agnihotri stated the maximum devastation has been observed along the banks of the Beas river.
There have been such devastations in the past also and the Jal Shakti Department has prepared a detailed project report worth Rs 1,669 crores to channelise this river after a study by the Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Station, he said.
It is being reviewed by the Central Water Commission, the deputy chief minister said and requested Shekhawat to approve the same at the earliest to safeguard the life and property of people, particularly in the Kullu-Manali area.
Agnihotri emphasized the importance of channelising the Beas since the Kullu-Manali airport and the Chandigarh-Leh National Highway lie on the bank of this river. He further added that the channelisation of this river would ensure the safety of tourists besides as well as of the transportation of horticulture products from the Kullu and Lahaul valley.
