AAP moves resolution in Punjab Assembly against Centre's 'lack of response' on flood relief package

Chandigarh, Sep 26 (PTI) The AAP government on Friday moved a resolution in the Punjab Assembly condemning the BJP-led Centre's "lack of response and the failure" to sanction a special financial package for the flood-hit state. The resolution also condemned the prime minister's office for "not responding" to Punjab chief minister's repeated request for a meeting, thereby "insulting" the people of the state, and preventing the state from making a proper and comprehensive representation of the full scale of the disaster.

The two-day special session of the Punjab Assembly began here on Friday.

Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal moved the resolution in the House during the discussion on 'Rehabilitation of Punjab' in the Assembly.

In the House, the ruling AAP MLAs entered the well of the House, shouting slogans against the Centre while holding placards mentioning, "Modi ji da Rs 1,600 crore da jumla".

The Speaker asked the treasury bench members to go back to their seats, but the ruling party legislators continued to raise slogans, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House for 20 minutes.

During his recent visit to Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a financial assistance of Rs 1,600 crore for the flood-hit Punjab in addition to the Rs 12,000 crore already in the state's kitty.

According to the resolution, Punjab has been ravaged by catastrophic floods, widely regarded as the worst and most destructive deluge since the 1988 floods which impacted more than 34 lakh people.

The current disaster has surpassed previous major flood events in independent India, such as those in 1955 and 1978, in terms of sheer scale and devastation, the resolution read.

Punjab chief minister, after a comprehensive assessment, formally demanded a special and substantial financial relief package of at least Rs 20,000 crore from the Union Government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to meet this unprecedented crisis, it further added.

The resolution also said the state government, with deep regret, must inform this House and the people of Punjab that even a part of the meagre announced package of Rs 1,600 crore has not yet been transferred to the state treasury.

"This House categorically condemns the lack of response and the failure of the BJP-led Union Government to sanction a special financial package commensurate with the scale of the worst floods faced by Punjab in decades," it said.

The resolution said it expresses profound dismay at the announcement of a token relief package of Rs 1,600 crore, which is a cruel mockery of the state's genuine demand of more than Rs 20,000 crore for a full recovery.

"Records its strong protest against the BJP led Union Government's apathy that has resulted in the non-disbursement of the announced token funds, thereby critically crippling the speed of the state government's ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations," the resolution added.

It called upon the Centre to acknowledge the gravity of the disaster, revisit the assessed damages, and sanction a comprehensive and substantially enhanced special financial package of not less than Rs 20,000 crore to support farmers, rebuild the ruined infrastructure, and restore the livelihoods of the people of Punjab.

It also demands the immediate and full transfer of the entire announced financial assistance of Rs 1,600 crore.

During the discussion, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema launched a scathing attack against the Centre, alleging that not even a single penny was released out of Rs 1,600 crore of relief package announced.

Cheema said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann wrote to the Prime Minister in late August, seeking the release of Rs 60,000 crore in "outstanding" funds. He claimed that the Prime Minister was "inaccessible" to the chief minister.

The finance minister also expressed regret over the absence of BJP MLAs from the assembly, suggesting they could have provided clarity on the utilisation of the Rs 1,600 crore relief package, out of which not a single penny has been transferred to the state exchequer.

"Today, the BJP's stance has been exposed nationwide," he added.

Cheema also rebuked the opposition for spreading rumours and clarified that the Rs 240 crore the state received is part of the Rs 481 crore already due to it from the Union Government under the Disaster Management budget for the financial year 2025-26.

He said the funds allocated for disaster management are received annually, and if these funds remain unutilised, an interest of 8.15 per cent is payable on them.

He said that the Disaster Management Act was enacted in 2010. Between 2017 and 2022, the Union Government allocated Rs 2,061 crore for disaster management in Punjab, of which the erstwhile Congress government utilised Rs 1,678 crore, he said.

He said that during the Aam Aadmi Party's tenure, Rs 1,582 crore was received in three years, with Rs 649 crore being spent.

Highlighting the "significant delay" in the Prime Minister's Punjab visit, which occurred almost a month after the floods commenced, Cheema contrasted this with the swift response in extending relief to Afghanistan, questioning the "disparity" in approach.

"What's even more troubling is the Prime Minister's announcement of a paltry Rs 1,600 crore relief package, of which not a single rupee has been disbursed to Punjab to date," Cheema added, underscoring the perceived inadequacy of the central government's response.

Punjab faced one of its worst flood disasters in decades, primarily due to the swollen Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers, along with seasonal rivulets resulting from heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Furthermore, heavy rains in Punjab exacerbated the flooding situation.

A total of 57 lives were lost and crops over five lakh acres were damaged in the recent floods. PTI CHS VSD OZ OZ