The illegal business of tree felling has devastated Himachal

Government needs to take strict action

- DR. RACHNA GUPTA

Ever since the Congress took charge in the state, in these two and a half years, if the government has had to struggle the most with anything, it is natural disasters.

This time, even before the monsoon properly started, the state has already suffered losses worth crores due to natural calamities — and the loss of life and property is separate. The horrific scenes from two years ago had not yet faded from people's minds when this monsoon once again unleashed new devastation. This time, the increasing incidents have proved that no one in the country is truly understanding the pain of the trees in the lap of the Himalayas.

Destruction stands in front of us in the name of development and in this hour whether it is the central government or the state government, both are fully responsible, because Himachal's geographical needs are entirely different from any other state in the country. Families who lost their lives in floods and cloudbursts are not even left in a position to ask what their fault was? Neither the central government nor the state government has an answer to this problem — both simply shrug off their responsibility in the name of disaster relief.