Dehradun: Imposing a blanket ban on construction of houses and commercial establishments along the banks of rivers, Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna on Monday said a rehabilitation and reconstruction authority would be set up to rebuild the flood-hit areas of the state even as the Centre indicated that it would approach multilateral agencies for funds .

 

Bahuguna, who made the announcement in Dehradun at a conference on Monday, said the decision was taken by the state cabinet considering the massive damage caused by the calamity in different areas across the state. “The authority will consist of experts from different fields,” he said. The statutory body, to be chaired by the Uttarakhand chief minister, will also take into account safeguards required in view of challenges to be faced 100 years from now.

 

Rural development minister Jairam Ramesh, who also addressed the conference, described it as a “progressive and significant step which will inspire confidence in people”. The authority will ensure transparency in the utilisation of large funds to be received by the state government from the Centre and other sources in development of the affected areas. Apart from a package of Rs.1,000 crore announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for reconstruction and rebuilding efforts, Rs.2,500 to 3,000 crore more is expected from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank for the purpose, Ramesh said.

 

Separately, finance minister P. Chidambaram said funds will not be a constraint for rebuilding the mountainous state. “We are trying to develop a (financial) package for rehabilitation and reconstruction for which we will go to multilateral bodies, like we did in the tsunami case,” Chidambaram told PTI.

 

“Prime Minister has already announced Rs.1,000 crore. Different ministries are using their own funds. Tourism has announced Rs.100 crore. Funds will not be a constraint. I have said it on the first day,” the minister said.

 

Besides seeking aid from multilateral agencies, the government will soon sent a joint team of finance ministry and home ministry to discuss with Uttarakhand state officials the redevelopment plan for the calamity-hit state. “What I have approved is that a team from the finance ministry and home ministry will go to Uttarakhand to sit (and discuss) with Uttarakhand government officers,” Chidambaram said.

 

In view of the gravity of the situation, Singh had last month announced financial support of Rs.1,000 crore to Uttarakhand for disaster relief, of which Rs.145 crore was released immediately. Singh had also announced ex-gratia assistance of Rs.2 lakh each to families of those who had lost their lives and Rs.50,000 each to the injured, from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF). The government had also decided to provide from the PMNRF, an ex-gratia assistance of Rs.1 lakh each to those whose houses have been completely destroyed and Rs.50,000 each to those whose houses have been damaged.