Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur urges united relief efforts in Himachal flood-hit areas

Shimla, July 14 (PTI) Former Union minister and BJP MP from Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency, Anurag Thakur, on Monday appealed for collective efforts to aid people affected by recent cloudbursts, flash floods and landslides in Himachal Pradesh.
    Thakur, who is visiting disaster-hit areas of Mandi district and distributing relief material along with BJP leaders, said "this is not the time for politics" and urged all parties, including the state and central governments, MPs and MLAs, to work together, a statement issued here said.
    Search operations are still underway to trace 27 missing people after multiple cloudbursts and landslides hit Mandi between June 30 and July 1, killing at least 15 people.
    "People have lost their homes, orchards, livestock and livelihoods. Road connectivity is yet to be restored and orchardists who were earning from apple have lost their only source of livelihood," Thakur said, according to a statement.
    Stressing the immediate need for reconstruction of houses, he said that the government should provide land and financial assistance to those whose houses have been destroyed.
     He further noted that the chief minister’s request for forest land for rehabilitation can be raised with the Centre.
    When asked whether he was satisfied with the relief measures, he said, "It is a time of crisis. I have not come to play politics nor have I any such intentions."
    Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, who visited several schools to distribute stationery to students, said many school buildings are unsafe and called on the government to prioritise student safety.
    He also demanded that Kisan Credit Card loans of affected orchardists and floriculturists be waived.
    Around 600 houses have been fully destroyed and 1,000 partially damaged, he said, adding that even the partially damaged homes are uninhabitable and should be treated as fully destroyed for compensation.
    He claimed that relief provided by the government so far was inadequate and that BJP workers from all constituencies had sent 3–4 vehicle-loads of relief material, "ten times more" than what the government supplied.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)