Uttarakhand submits Rs 60.70 cr conservation proposal to Centre

DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand government today submitted a proposal worth Rs 60.70 crore to the Centre for soil and water conservation efforts in the disaster affected areas of the state.

The proposal was submitted by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar at Krishi Bhawan in New Delhi, an official release here said.

Immediate measures will have to be taken to put life back on track in affected areas as agricultural activities, the main occupation of people in the region, have been hit hard by the recent calamity in the state and Kharif crop production could also be affected adversely, the chief minister told Pawar.

"Due to the flash floods, the fields in the hill areas have been swept away while those in the plains have been badly damaged," Bahuguna was quoted as saying.

According to the proposal presented by the state government, an area of 37000 hectares of agricultural land would have to be immediately treated in order to be saved from further damage.

This task would cost around Rs 55 crore. The state government has included cost of other activities such as repair of terraced fields, construction of check walls and dams, as well as retaining walls. He has also suggested planting of trees in order to avoid soil erosion.

This cost will also involve reinforcement of block development offices in disaster affected areas, setting up of government agricultural farms, investment in redeveloping disaster hit Agastyamuni (Rudraprayag) and repair of seed storehouses in Doiwala, Raipur, Kalsi, Ukhimath and Bhatwadi on a priority.

At another meeting at Krishi Bhawan, Indian Agriculture Research Institute Director Hari Shankar Gupta presented a cheque of Rs 44.67 lakh to Bahuguna for the welfare of the calamity hit areas of Uttarakhand.