Shimla
Soma Devi, a resident of Panthaghati on the suburbs of the Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla, came all through to meet Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to present him a cheque for Rs 61,000, her one month pension, as a contribution towards the Chief Minister’s relief fund to help disaster-hit people. Likewise, Avni Singh donated Rs 51,000 on her 15th birthday towards the relief fund named Aapada Raahat Kosh. Thousands of people have come forward to lend help to the affected. As a result, a contribution of more than Rs 163 crore has been received in the Aapada Raahat Kosh — 2023, a government statement said on Sunday. This shows the gesture of a common Himachali extending support voluntarily to the sufferers of the natural calamity that ravaged the state, and help government to make Himachal stand again. The monsoon fury during the last two months caused severe devastation triggering flash floods and landslides, causing massive damage to both the public and the private property. Over 330 people lost their lives, besides livestock. To comfort the people, many individuals and organisations have come forward to help the traumatised — directly or indirectly. The monsoon, the deadliest in 50 years, has caused huge damage to road infrastructure, water supply schemes and buildings — private and public property. The state not only took measures to rescue the stranded people amidst flashfloods but also adopted concrete steps to compensate for the losses.
