E-Paper
Include Punjab in list of flood-hit states: Capt to Centre
Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has demanded immediate inclusion of Punjab among states identified for on-the-spot assessment of flood situation by
Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh has demanded immediate inclusion of Punjab among states identified for on-the-spot assessment of flood situation by an inter-ministerial central team (IMCT).
Expressing surprise over Punjab’s non-inclusion, Amarinder said the Centre has listed 11 states for IMCT review of flood damage but Punjab does not find a mention in it even though the state has witnessed large-scale flooding in many areas following unprecedented rains. He urged Union home minister Amit Shah to immediately rectify the situation.
Earlier Amarinder had tweeted: “Surprised on the exclusion of Punjab from the list of states to be visited by the Inter-Ministerial Central Team to assess losses in flood-affected areas in different States. Request HM @AmitShah ji to direct the central team to visit Punjab to assess the huge losses.”
The IMCT was constituted by the Union home ministry following decision taken at a meeting on August 19. Breaking away from the past practice of waiting for the affected state to submit a memorandum seeking central assessment, the IMCT has been mandated to visit the flood-affected states of Meghalya, Assam, Tripura, Bihar, Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Gujrat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Kerala, for making final recommendations to the central government for financial assistance.
Amarinder said he had already written to the Prime Minister to seek a special flood relief package of ₹1,000 crore to address the losses resulting from floods in Punjab. It is estimated, as per initial calculations, that the state has suffered damage worth ₹1,700 crore due to the floods.
MINISTERS, SPEAKER OVERSEE FLOOD-RELIEF WORK
Five ministers as well as Punjab Vidhan Sabha speaker Rana KP Singh visited flood-affected areas on Saturday. Rural development and panchyats minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, water resources minister Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, revenue minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar and food and civil supplies minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu are overseeing flood relief and rescue operations in the affected areas.
