Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], August 1 : Uttarakhand has received approval for a major project worth Rs 125 crore from the Government of India for landslide mitigation and management, under the continuous efforts and guidance of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
The project is aimed at providing a long-term solution to areas in the state most vulnerable to landslides.
As per the instructions of the Chief Minister, the proposals were prepared by the State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) and Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre (ULMMC), Dehradun, and sent to the Government of India. In line with the guidelines of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs acted promptly and approved the Rs 125 crore project.
In the first phase, an advance amount of Rs 4.5 crore has been released for exploration works and preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR). The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the Home Minister on behalf of the state government and the people of Uttarakhand for the support. He said the project marks a significant step towards a long-term solution for landslide-affected areas.
Five highly sensitive sites prone to landslides have been selected on a priority basis. These include Mansa Devi Hill Bypass Road (Haridwar), Galogi Hydroelectric Project Road (Mussoorie, Dehradun), Bahuguna Nagar land-subsidence area (Karnaprayag, Chamoli), Charton Lodge landslide area (Nainital), and Khotila-Ghatdhar landslide area (Dharchula, Pithoragarh).
Uttarakhand has been experiencing widespread damage due to heavy rainfall during the monsoon season, leading to loss of life, disruption of everyday life, and damage to infrastructure, including roads.
Meanwhile, the Central government has approved Rs 615 crore to Uttarakhand as special capital assistance, of which Rs 380.201 crore has already been released, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said on Wednesday.
In reaction to this, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed happiness over the approval of special central assistance and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this. The Chief Minister said that the state government is engaged with full readiness and commitment to fulfil the Prime Minister's vision of making this decade a "decade of development of Uttarakhand."
"Uttarakhand is getting full support from the Central Government in this direction," the Chief Minister said, according to the CMO.
As per the CMO, under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme, the Uttarakhand government had sought special assistance of Rs 619.42 crore for 37 schemes in the financial year 2025-26.