Express News Service
DEHRADUN: With monsoon rains battering Uttrakhand, only 28% of the budget has been allocated to all 13 districts of the disaster-hit state. Out of the total Rs 937 crore allocated for the financial year 2020-21, only Rs 263.667 has been allocated to deal with natural disasters.
While hundreds of roads remain blocked, visuals of damaged rods, bridges are also emerging from across the state.
Dhan Singh Rawat, minister for the disaster management department commenting on the matter said, “Every effort is being put in for the mitigation of any disaster across the state. More than 400 heavy-duty JCB machines have been deployed to clear the roads. Alert has already been issued and we are working to minimize the possible threats due to rain-induced landslides.”
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami did an aerial survey of affected areas of the state with relevant authorities.
The meteorological department has already issued warning for next 24-36 hours for the districts of Nainital, Dehradun, Champawat, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh.
The officials of the MeT department also added that the rains will register some decline from August 30 to September 3, 2021.
The highest funds were allocated to Haridwar district with Rs 36 Crore followed by Chamoli (Rs 34 Crore), Dehradun (Rs 33 Cr), Tehri (Rs 19 Cr), Pauri (Rs 18 Cr), Udham Singh Nagar (Rs 18 Cr), Uttarkashi (Rs 17 Cr), Nainital (Rs 16 Cr), Pithoragarh (Rs 15.667 Cr), Almora (Rs 15 Cr), Rudraprayag (Rs 15 Cr), Champawat (Rs 14 Cr) and Bageshwar (Rs 13 Cr).
Data from the State Disaster Management Authority has revealed natural disasters including landslides, snow avalanches, cloud burst and others have registered whopping 1300% increase between year 2015 and 2020. In year 2015 total 200 such disasters were recorded which increased to 2659 in year 2020.
A series of photographs, videos have been surfacing from across Uttarakhand with visuals of damaged roads, destroyed bridges and boulders sprawled all over the roads including in the stretches of centre’s ambitious all-weather 900s Char Dham Pariyojana.
