Rs 13,900-cr disaster package could be overestimated

This year, another 56-60 odd villages were damaged and declared unsafe following June 16-17 deluge in hill state

Last year, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had sent a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, seeking an aid of Rs 50 crore for the rehabilitation of 233-odd villages, which were declared unsafe, owing to natural disasters.

This year, 56-60 other villages were damaged and declared unsafe, following the June 16-17 deluge in the hill state.

And now, the state government has sought a package of Rs 8000 crore for the relocation and rehabilitation of 300 such villages. Bahuguna claimed that he has got a positive assurance from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard.

But the big question is why the chief minister had demanded only Rs 50 crore initially for the rehabilitation of 233 villages last year. And why he is seeking Rs 8000 crore for 300 villages now. Top government officials remained tightlipped on the issue. But official sources said both the demands were made on the preliminary assessment. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) is yet to complete the survey of all these villages, which have faced the wrath of landslides and flash floods, admitted a top official of the Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre (DMMC).

Finance department said it has not been consulted on the whole issue and remained skeptical whether there could be an overestimation of the required funds for the rehabilitation works. “We are not being consulted in the matter related to the disaster,” said a top official of the finance department.

Interestingly, the chief minister yesterday had put forward a demand of Rs 13,900 crore before a Cabinet committee in New Delhi.

Of the total package, Rs 8000 crore was meant for the rehabilitation of 300 villages.

In yet another move, the sugarcane department has estimated a loss of Rs 224.87 crore due to the floods in Haridwar and dehradun districts. This loss is based on an assessment that 24,363 hectare of sugarcane crop was affected in the disaster. And now the department has made an assumption that 24363 hectare of the sugarcane acreage would produce 78.89 lakh quintals, which is estimated to be around Rs 224.87 crore based on the last year’s price of  Rs 285 per quintal. “This is merely an assumption which may or may not be correct,” commented a top government official.

In the case of PWD department, the government has estimated a need of Rs 145.42 crore for the immediate restoration of road connectivity in the state. But for the complete restoration of the damaged roads, the PWD department has estimated a requirement of Rs 942.11 crore. When asked whether these roads will not be damaged again on being repaired, Additional Secretary PWD Amit Singh Negi said, “the entire Himalayan belt is highly fragile and we cannot give any guarantee for the damages being caused by landslides.”