Central team to visit calamity-hit Himachal in September

Shimla, Aug 25 (IANS) With the natural calamity claiming 258 lives in Himachal Pradesh, the Centre has constituted a Ministry of Home Affairs team to visit the state next month to take stock of the on the spot damage caused by rain, an official with the state Revenue and Disaster Management Authority said on Thursday.Many incidents of heavy rains, landslides and cloudbursts have occurred in the state in the current monsoon, claiming 258 lives. Ten people are still missing.As per the state government, 270 cattle were killed and 1,658 residential houses, shops, among others, were damaged. National highways, rural roads, drinking water schemes and power projects have also suffered heavy damages. A loss of Rs 1367.33 crore has been assessed so far in the state and the process of assessment is going on.The Central team, led Joint Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal, will visit the state in first week of September. On earlier occasions, the Central team used to visit the state only after the end of the monsoon.Timely assessment of the damages caused by natural calamities will enable the state to get additional Central assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund and adequate relief assistance could be provided to the disaster affected people in the state, said the state government.
--IANSvg/svn/

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