By IANS,
Shimla : Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Friday urged the central government to provide financial assistance to the state to repair highways damaged due to recent heavy rains, an official statement here said.
The chief minister, in a letter to union Minister for Roads and Highways Kamal Nath, has urged release of a financial assistance of Rs.100 crore to the state to restore the damaged national highways, the statement said quoting Dhumal.
Dhumal said the incessant rains have caused widespread damage to life and property in the state. The total damage to the roads has been estimated to be more than Rs.1,010 crore, out of which damage to the national highways was around Rs.100 crore.
According to the weather bureau here, this year the southwest monsoon was 16 percent more than the normal in the state, compared to a 36 percent deficit last year.
From June 1 to Sep 28, the state experienced 977.4 mm of rain against the normal of 831.7 mm, said the meteorological office.