Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met with Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi on Friday evening to seek urgent support and policy relaxations in the wake of devastating monsoon-triggered calamities across the state. Highlighting the severe impact of recent cloud bursts and torrential rains, the Chief Minister explained that the state had suffered catastrophic damage to infrastructure, homes, water supply systems, roads, bridges, and tragically, the loss of many human lives.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister requested that the central government allow the allocation of at least one bigha of land to each family rendered homeless and landless by the monsoon disaster. Given that approximately 68 percent of Himachal Pradesh is under forest cover, he pressed for a relaxation in forest norms to facilitate speedy and humane rehabilitation for displaced families.
He also raised the pressing need for permission to undertake dredging activities in the state’s rivers as a preventive measure against future disasters. CM Sukhu urged the Union Minister to ensure that guidelines regarding the disposal of dredged material are updated to suit the state’s unique topographical and ecological requirements. In a further appeal, he emphasized the necessity of having separate environmental regulations and criteria for hilly states like Himachal Pradesh, whose rugged geography and heightened vulnerability demand tailored approaches to disaster management and environmental conservation.
The Chief Minister pointed out the alarming frequency of cloud bursts and weather anomalies which have become a recurring threat, bringing unprecedented levels of destruction. He informed the Union Minister that the matter had already been raised with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, following which a central team had visited Himachal Pradesh to assess the visible impacts of climate change and shifting weather patterns in the region.
This meeting was attended by Deputy Chief Whip Kewal Singh Pathania, MLAs Sanjay Awasthi and Suresh Kumar, along with senior bureaucrats including Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) K.K. Pant and Principal Resident Commissioner Ajay Yadav. Officials from the Ministry of Environment and the Himachal Pradesh Government were also present.
Why This Is Important
The appeal made by CM Sukhu underscores the growing urgency of climate resilience in ecologically fragile states like Himachal Pradesh. As cloud bursts, landslides, and flash floods become more frequent and destructive, traditional forest conservation rules—though well-intended—may inadvertently obstruct timely rehabilitation efforts. With two-thirds of Himachal’s area under forest jurisdiction, even emergency rehabilitation measures can get entangled in bureaucratic delays unless procedural reforms are introduced.
This engagement with the Centre signifies a crucial step toward redefining India’s environmental governance through a more nuanced lens—one that respects ecology while responding to human suffering with compassion and pragmatism. Relaxing forest norms for disaster-hit populations, allowing river dredging under specific guidelines, and adapting policies to suit mountainous terrains may become national precedents for climate-struck hill states across the country.
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