Punjab Cabinet meeting on Monday, CM Mann to join virtually from hospital

Chandigarh, Sep 7 (PTI) The Punjab Cabinet will hold a meeting on Monday with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann joining it virtually from a private hospital in Mohali as the state faces its worst flood since 1988.

The cabinet is expected to review the flood situation, relief and rescue measures. It is also likely to discuss a policy for permitting flood-hit farmers to extract sand deposited in their farmlands by the floods, a source said.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on Friday, but had to be postponed due to Mann's illness.

Mann was admitted to the hospital on Friday after he complained of exhaustion and a low heart rate. The source said the meeting will now be held at 12 noon on Monday and will be chaired by Mann from the Fortis Hospital through video conferencing.

Hospital authorities on Sunday said he was recuperating well and his vitals are normal.

On Sunday, AAP leader Manish Sisodia said farmers will be allowed to extract sand that has been deposited in their fields following the worst floods. He asserted that silt accumulation in agricultural fields was the farmers' biggest concern as they prepare the soil for crop sowing.

Punjab is currently facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades. The floods are a result of swollen rivers the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, along with seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Besides, heavy rains in recent days have also intensified the flooding situation, aggravating the challenges faced by residents. PTI CHS NSD NSD