Kewal Singh Pathania demands special financial package/grant from Rahul Gandhi

Dharamsala, September 3, 2013: Kewal Singh Pathania, Vice Chairman, Himachal Pradesh State Forest Development Corporation called on Rahul Gandhi, Vice President, AICC at New Delhi on Tuesday, and apprised him about the losses caused to the state due to heavy rains and landslides during the monsoon period and urged him to direct the concerned Ministries of Government of India for releasing the special financial package/grant on account of natural calamities.

Pathania told Gandhi that the state had experienced an unprecedented heavy rainfall which was 576 percent to 1358 percent above the normal from June 15 to 17 June this year. As a result of this calamity, massive damage to private and public property had been reported. 50 persons had lost their lives and accumulated losses suffered by the State had been estimated as Rs.2852 crore, he added.

Pathania said, “The Central team on the request of State Government had visited the state especially in the Kinnaur district to assess the losses of lives and property. The special package/relief demanded by the State Government was still pending from the Government of India and major restoration works/infrastructure were still to be carried out.”

He requested Rahul Gandhi to provide special financial package/grant to the State at the earliest so that the appropriate relief could be provided to the sufferers.