Set up team to tackle disasters, says Shah

Union home minister Amit Shah has directed the formation of a multi-sectoral central team to study and address increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) said in a statement.

- Jayashree Nandi

In a recent meeting chaired by Shah, it was observed that the Himalayan state has witnessed an increase in the frequency and intensity of cloudbursts, flash floods, landslides and torrential rainfall, causing widespread loss of life, damage to infrastructure, livelihoods and environmental degradation.

To address these concerns, the MHA constituted a multi-sectoral central team, comprising experts from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) Pune, Geologist, and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, the statement said.

Further, in the wake of floods, flash floods and landslides during monsoon in different parts of Himachal Pradesh, the Centre has already deputed an inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) for on-the-spot firsthand assessment of damages. The IMCT is visiting the affected areas of the hill state from July 18 to 21.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Union government stands firmly with the states in times of disasters without any discrimination, the MHA said.