Uttarakhand Chief Minister
Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' speaks to
Shishir Prashant on the situation after the recent cloudburst and floods in the state.
You have personally visited several disaster-affected areas. How do you assess the situation?This is the worst disaster that this part of the country has witnessed in 100 years. I have toured most of the remote areas like Munsiyari in the Pithoragarh district and Purola in the Uttarkashi district. I even trekked to reach some of the villages where the devastation was huge. The devastation caused by the heavy rains is not only immense but unprecedented also. It will take at least two to three years to rebuild the damaged infrastructure.
What are your expectations from the Centre?We are seeking a package of Rs 21,000-22,000 crore to bring the state back on track. A Central team is visiting the affected areas to make a final assessment. We have already got Rs 500 crore as an interim relief from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who has agreed to extend all possible help and support.
What steps did your government take to meet the expectations of the affected people?From our side, we are trying hard to heal the wounds. We put our men and machinery on high alert soon after the catastrophe hit the state, especially during those harrowing days of September 18 and 19. We tried our best to minimise the damage by taking up relief and rescue measures on a war footing. You will be surprised to know that we were able to save the precious lives of over 32,000 people. Besides, we have already increased our relief amount.
There has been criticism that the package you are seeking is on the higher side. There is a lot of politics about it, especially when comparisons are being made with Uttar Pradesh which has demanded a relief package of only Rs 1,000 crore...We have assessed our damage, which has come to around Rs 22,000 crore. How the Uttar Pradesh government assesses the situation is not our concern. Moreover, the central teams will