Uttarakhand CM Directs District Magistrates To Prepare Long-Term Plans For ‘Land Banks’ 

Chief Minister (CM) of the hilly State of Uttarakhand, Trivendra Singh Rawat on Saturday (22 August) issued instructions to the district magistrates to make long-term plans for "land bank" which can be used to accommodate the people affected due to disasters, reports Asian News International (ANI).

At a meeting called to review the various disaster management works ongoing in the State, CM Rawat stressed that it is necessary to have land available to displace sensitive villages in the future in needed. He also stressed that in case of loss of life due to a disaster, the affected families should be provided with assistance with three days.

Given the importance of the timely displacement of people to save them from disasters, CM Rawat also said that the State government will be sending a proposal to the Central Government for approval of forest land usage to displace such people from villages sensitive to disasters in a bid to minimise the loss of lives and livelihoods.

The developments gain significance as the State is known to be prone to landslides, thunderbursts and floods caused by incessant rains which lead to massive loss of lives and damage to the economy of the State each year.