Shivraj visits flood-hit Punjab, calls it 'jal pralay'

Chandigarh, Sep 4 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday visited the flood-ravaged areas in Punjab and inspected the extent of crop damage, and termed the tragedy "jal pralay." Chouhan visited flood-hit areas in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts, where he interacted with people affected by the deluge.

Earlier in Amritsar, he said two central teams are visiting the state to assess the flood damage and will submit a report to the Centre.

Chouhan was accompanied by several BJP leaders, including Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, party national general secretary Tarun Chugh, and Subhash Sharma.

The Union minister rode a tractor to the flooded areas and entered an inundated paddy cropfield in Dharamkot Randhawa village in Gurdaspur.

Wading in the water, he said, "Loss is visible. The crop is completely damaged. Fields are inundated… It is 'jal pralayi'." The minister added, "In this hour of crisis, we are with farmers and will make every effort to bail them out of it." Chouhan also took a look at an inundated sugarcane field in Gurdaspur.

He went to another place in a boat.

"I came here to meet you. The Prime Minister has sent me," he said.

"The central government will make every effort. Punjab is the state that rose to the challenge whenever the country needed it. You have fought for the country. I came here to assure the government stands by everyone, be it farmers, the poor," he said.

Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria submitted a report on the flood situation to Chouhan at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, where he landed.

The report carried flood updates from Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Ferozepur districts, officials said.

Chouhan said the two central teams are composed of members from agriculture, rural development, roads, energy, finance and Jal Shakti departments. They will assess the situation and give a detailed report to the Centre, he said.

Chouhan first went to flood-hit areas in Ajnala in Amritsar district.

Over there, he interacted with farmers, one of whom showed him the extensive damage caused to the crop.

Later in Amritsar, Punjab Agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal met Chouhan and submitted a memorandum to him, seeking Rs 2,000 crore in financial assistance for the losses caused by floods in the Ajnala Assembly Constituency.

They also demanded the Centre release "pending" Rs 60,000 crore to Punjab.

Punjab is currently facing one of its worst flood disasters in decades.

The Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, and several seasonal rivulets are in spate because of heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. PTI CHS SUN VSD VN VN