Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu called on the Union Minister for Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, in New Delhi on Friday evening.
He apprised the Union Minister of the losses incurred by the state due to recent cloudbursts and heavy rains, adding that buildings, infrastructure, roads, bridges, water supply network, and residential properties suffered major damage, in addition to the loss of precious human lives in the current monsoon.
Sukhu urged the Union Minister to allocate one bigha of land for the rehabilitation of disaster-affected families who have been rendered homeless and landless.
With 68 percent of the state under forest cover, he emphasised the need to relax forest norms to facilitate rehabilitation. He also held discussions on river dredging and urged the Union Minister to issue necessary directions for the disposal of dredged material as part of disaster prevention efforts.
Sukhu also urged that separate norms be formulated for hill states, considering their challenging topography and special needs. He also apprised the Union Minister of the frequent recurrence of cloudbursts, which have led to natural disasters and severe losses. Sukhu informed that the matter had been discussed with the Union Home Minister and that a central team had visited the state to study the impact of climate change.