Ministers making money, not worried about plight of people: Uttarakhand speaker

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal embarrassed his own party weeks before the crucial Lok Sabha elections on Wednesday when he rapped the Congress government's ministers for doing nothing to reduce the plight of the people hit by last June's cloudburst and flash floods. Instead, Kunjwal said, the ministers were interested only in lining their pockets.

"It's unfortunate that the political atmosphere in the state is degrading," Kunjal said. "Politicians who become ministers are more focused on making money during their five-year term. They see colossal damage to people and the state, but do nothing, as they themselves do not get harmed. They are no longer able to concentrate on issues related to welfare, development and the honour of the state," he added, warning that if the advice of scientists and researchers was ignored by those in power, the damage by natural disasters could change the profile of the state for the worse.

Kunjwal, known to call a spade a spade, was in his element as the chief guest at a seminar held at the Forest Research Institute on 'Learnings from the Uttarakhand Disaster for the Indian Himalayan Region'.

"Frequent natural disasters are a grim reality for Uttarakhand. However, their impact can be mitigated by making buildings and roads with newer technology so that these can sustain the onslaught of unpredictable weather for years to come. The state is blessed with scientists of high calibre who can be roped in to formulate better strategies to tackle disasters," the speaker said.