'Govt must rethink strategy in dealing with ecologically fragile states'

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday voiced concern over the situation in Sikkim and urged the Centre to declare both the Sikkim flash floods and Himachal Pradesh floods as national disasters.

He also expressed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Sikkim flash floods.

The situation in Sikkim is precarious as several people have lost their lives and many, including our brave Army personnel, are missing due to cloudburst and flash floods, he said.

"Our thoughts are with the people of Sikkim who are battling these distressing times. The Union Government must do everything possible to rescue people in safer locations and find the missing persons, whose count is reportedly steadily increasing," Kharge said in a post on X.

He said a lot of damage has been done to the infrastructure, and the Union and the state government must work together in the medium and long term to rebuild this beautiful state.

The Congress party and its workers shall help in all possible ways in this humanitarian crisis, he said.

"The Union Government must recalibrate its strategy in dealing with ecologically fragile Himalayan states and must declare such tragedies, like Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh, as natural disasters so that these states get adequate funds to rebuild themselves in a more sustainable manner," the Congress chief said.