The main focus of the Chief Minister, Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu’s visit to the apple belts of Shimla district remained on interacting with those affected by natural calamity resulting in huge loss to both the public and the private property and providing relief to them. The Chief Minister directed to ensure that all the roads, even those connecting villages, which have been blocked or damaged, should be cleared or restored in a time bound manner, by 15th August, keeping in view the peak apple season to facilitate the orchardists and farmers to transport their produce to the markets.
Besides announcing enhanced assistance to the affected families, the Chief Minister also announced financial assistance of rupees one lakh each to the families of three orchardists, Govind Singh, Heera Singh and Tara Chand, who died in the firing incident during the apple grower’s agitation in 1990 and announced rupees eight lakh on behalf of the state government for the maintenance of the existing memorial, in the memory of the trio. Apart from this a sum of rupees seven lakh each has been released for seven Panchayats of Kotgarh, severely affected due to torrential rains.
The Chief Minister also took stock of the situation in Kumarsain sub division and was detailed about the losses, wherein 124 houses were completely damaged and 204 houses were partially affected due to rains.
It was within 12 hours, after the directions of the Chief Minister, that a sum of Rs. 55 lakh was released to development block, Nankhari and Rs.49 lakh to development block, Narkanda to accelerate the restoration work of roads and bridges in their blocks.
Necessary directions were issued to the officers concerned, in all five assembly segments of Chopal, Rohru, Rampur, Theog and Kotkhai to work 24X7 to restore the damaged roads and bridges besides providing sufficient funds to the tune of over Rs 110 crore to PWD to expedite restoration of roads. He directed to restore at least jeepable roads, at places, where it will take time to clear or restore the roads as well.
