By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
After the Uttarakhand government sought a package of Rs 5702 crore from the centre in view of the devastation caused by flash floods, state Congress President Karan Mahara on Monday enhanced the demand to Rs 20,000 crore following the party’s own assessment.
In a letter written on September 5 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a special relief package of ₹20,000 crore for Uttarakhand and deployment of expert teams for future challenges, Mahara said considering the gravity of the situation, the state government’s demand of ₹5,702 crore is insufficient. About ₹6,000 crore is required to rebuild Joshimath alone, he said while referring to last year’s land subsidence issue.
Mahra also mentioned other disaster-hit areas of the state, where people have not received any relief yet. “35 houses were damaged in Bahuguna village of Karanprayag, but the affected families did not receive assistance,” he claimed.
Landslides are continuously occurring in Gopeshwar and Nainital (Balia Nala area).
Disasters also occurred in areas like Khatia, Khati village, Bharari, Song and Dharchula, but financial help has not reached till now.0
He clearly said that “In total, Uttarakhand should be given financial assistance of at least ₹20,000 crores, so that the villages can be rebuilt.”
Mahara said that instead of sending a team for assessment, the central and state government should send teams of scientists, geologists and experts. These teams can assess the possible disasters in the coming time and present a concrete outline to prepare Uttarakhand.
In a letter written to Prime Minister Modi on September 5, Mahara said that continuous heavy rains have caused huge loss of life and property in all the hill districts of the state. Incidents of cloudburst have disrupted life in many places. The situation is very serious in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh and Pauri districts.
Following are the main Cong’s demands:
- The current disaster in Uttarakhand should be declared a national disaster.
- The central government should immediately give a relief package of ₹ 20,000 crore to Uttarakhand.
- Every disaster-affected family should be given immediate assistance of ₹ 10 lakh each from the central and state government.
- Damaged houses and buildings should be assessed and proper compensation should be given.
- The affected people should be displaced in one go to safe places on the lines of the Tehri dam rehabilitation package.