Punjab floods: Cong, SAD leaders seek special package for state from PM

Chandigarh, Sep 1 (PTI) Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking an urgent flood relief package for the state, saying that the calamity has caused havoc and devastation across the state.

In the letter, Warring said almost the entire Punjab has been hit by the floods and any immediate reprieve is unlikely with more rain predicted over the next few days.

Referring to the inter-ministerial committee constituted by the Union home ministry to assess the losses caused by floods in different states, he said, this will take time while people need relief urgently.

Seeking an urgent flood relief package for Punjab, the Congress leader said the state's estimated loss runs into thousands of crores of rupees.

More than 1,300 villages have been hit so far and paddy crop is on the verge of being damaged, he said.

"We don't seek any special treatment despite being the frontline border state, which has stood guard for the entire nation and also for providing food security to the whole country. We only seek our rightful due," Warring urged the PM.

"This is a natural calamity with unimaginable devastation. This is the time for the country to stand by Punjab and Punjabi farmers," he said.

Warring also expressed apprehension about the outbreak of diseases in the flood-hit areas, besides the erosion of fertile soil. He demanded that farmers in the affected areas be provided fertilisers free of cost for at least the next two seasons.

Congress MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa also wrote to the PM.

"I hope that the prime minister and the central government will take immediate action on this serious situation and promptly fulfil the special relief package and other basic demands for the flood-affected areas," he said.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal also sought from the PM a special package for Punjab and increased deputation of National Disaster Response Force and Army personnel to streamline relief operations in the state.

Badal's appeal came after a 10-day visit to the flood-affected areas across several districts in the state.

In his letter to the PM, Badal shared a first-hand account of the state of affairs, saying that lakhs of acres of land has been submerged and thousands of houses, roads and power infrastructure have been damaged.

Asserting that there was an urgent need to come to the rescue of the farmers, Badal asserted that they needed direct financial assistance for the crop loss, damage to their homes and the loss of milch animals.

He also sought the deployment of special central teams to address health issues arising due to the prolonged inundation.

The former deputy chief minister also said in his letter that the farmers need a reprieve from loan payments and this was a fit case for waiving all their loans to give them a fresh start.

Underlining that the scale of relief efforts needed was huge, Badal said the state government has not been able to keep pace with the requirements of those affected and there were major gaps in the ongoing relief and rescue operations in Punjab.

He also urged the PM to announce a special package so that measures could be taken to preempt floods of this scale, which are Punjab's worst in 40 years.

"Unfortunately for the past several years, flood protection works have been ignored which has amplified the misery of the people.

"Special funds could be allocated for flood protection works along major rivers and rivulets and construction of pucca bundhs (embankments) where necessary," he said.

The swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets have flooded large parts of Punjab following heavy rain in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

According to officials, Punjab received 253.7 mm of rain in August, 74 per cent in excess of normal and the state's highest in 25 years.

A total of 12 districts, including Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar, have been hit by the floods. PTI CHS DIV DIV