Punjab Governor Kataria apprises Union minister Chouhan of flood situation

Chandigarh/Amritsar, Sep 4 (PTI) Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Thursday submitted a detailed report on the flood situation to Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar.

Earlier, Chouhan arrived at the Amritsar airport and will visit flood-hit areas in Punjab.

The minister will visit villages in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Kapurthala districts and interact with affected farmers.

Governor Kataria submitted the report on the flood situation in Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Ferozepur districts, officials said.

After visiting all five flood-affected districts from September 1 to 4, the governor apprised Chouhan of the ground realities in these areas, highlighting the extensive damage caused to life, property, crops, and infrastructure due to floods.

He also briefed him about ongoing relief and rehabilitation measures being carried out jointly by the Punjab government, district administration, Army, NDRF, and other agencies.

Chouhan is on a tour of Punjab to meet flood-affected people and assess their immediate requirements.

He assured full support from the union government in providing necessary assistance to the state for speedy relief and rehabilitation measures.

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 & Kashmir.

Additional heavy rains in Punjab have intensified the flooding situation, aggravating the challenges faced by residents.

The deluge has claimed 37 lives so far and impacted over 3.55 lakh people. Crops over 1.75 lakh hectares of land have perished in the floods, officials stated. PTI CHS HIG HIG