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Shimla: Deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri met Union minister of water resources C R Patil in Delhi on Friday. He conveyed that the Jal Shakti Vibhag had incurred losses of nearly Rs 4,000 crore over the past three years due to monsoon disasters and urged him to provide substantial assistance.This year alone, the Jal Shakti Vibhag suffered losses of Rs 1,291 crore, he added. Agnihotri also urged the release of funds to the tune of Rs 1,227 crore for the completion of ongoing schemes under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM). He advocated for the release of funds under Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA), keeping in view the grave situation faced by Himachal due to flash floods and heavy disasters. Agnihotri stressed relaxing the norms under PDNA to expedite the restoration work and insisted on the release of central assistance for ongoing irrigation projects under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna (PMKSY) on priority.The deputy CM said to date only Rs 100 crore have been received out of Rs 697 crore approved for the water supply sector for 2023, though the losses faced were to the tune of Rs 2,132 crore in 2023 itself. Therefore, this is hampering the progress of restoration works, he said, further urging early approval of a scheme for the modernisation of command area development in various clusters of Haroli block of Una, estimated to cost Rs 97 crore, for which the Union minister Patil assured his approval on priority.Agnihotri also advocated for the early release of funds for the already approved 11 flood protection projects, as maximum devastation has been observed along the river banks. The Jal Shakti Vibhag prepared a detailed project report for Rs 1,795 crore for channelisation after conducting model studies from the Central Water and Power Research Station (CWPRS). He also underlined the need for the channelisation of the Beas river in view of its strategic importance as Kullu-Manali Airport and the Chandigarh-Leh National Highway lie on the banks of this river.
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