Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri met Union Minister of Water Resources C.R. Patil at his residence in Delhi and apprised him of the massive losses suffered by Himachal Pradesh’s Jal Shakti Vibhag during the last three years, amounting to nearly ₹4,000 crore.
Sh. Agnihotri urged the Union Minister to extend a generous hand towards Himachal in view of the unprecedented natural calamities faced during the monsoons, which have severely impacted water resources infrastructure. He informed that this year alone, the department has suffered losses worth ₹1,291.51 crore.
He requested the release of ₹1,227 crore required for completion of ongoing schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) and advocated for the disbursal of funds under the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA). He stressed the need to relax PDNA norms to expedite restoration work and also sought central assistance for ongoing irrigation projects under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) on priority.
The Deputy CM further apprised the Union Minister that only ₹100 crore has been received out of the ₹697 crore approved for the water supply sector in 2023, despite losses of ₹2,132.70 crore that year. “This shortfall is severely hampering restoration progress,” he said.
Sh. Agnihotri also sought early approval of a ₹97.78 crore scheme for modernization of Command Area Development in Haroli Block of Una district, for which the Union Minister assured priority clearance. He further urged for early release of funds for 11 already-approved flood protection projects, highlighting that maximum devastation has occurred along river banks.
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