The Punjab government has constituted an 11-member committee of senior IAS officers to prepare a detailed draft report for post-disaster needs assessment following the devastating floods, the worst in four decades, that hit several parts of the state in August and September.
The report will be placed before a multi-sectoral committee headed by chief secretary KAP Sinha for consideration before submission to the Centre. Secretary revenue Manvesh Singh Sidhu is the team lead and will handle the preparation of the overall reports to be submitted on November 3.
The move comes after a central team visited the state on October 27 to take stock of the flood situation.
The team members have been attached with the officials from the Union Government who would finalise the compensation for different sectors such as irrigation and flood control, rural development (panchayats’ livelihood), health and family welfare, education, roads and bridges, agriculture and horticulture, power, animal husbandry, local government, and forests. This is considered as the final step before the announcement of the compensation.
Earlier, the Punjab government had sent a memorandum to the Centre, seeking ₹12,905 crore in compensation for the extensive damage caused by the floods. The natural disaster wreaked havoc, particularly in the border districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur, where thousands of acres of standing paddy crop were destroyed and several villages remained submerged for days.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier, the Punjab government had sent a memorandum to the Centre, seeking ₹12,905 crore in compensation for the extensive damage caused by the floods. The natural disaster wreaked havoc, particularly in the border districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Gurdaspur, where thousands of acres of standing paddy crop were destroyed and several villages remained submerged for days.
{{/usCountry}}According to officials from the state revenue department, the floods damaged crops on over 2.97 lakh acres of farmland, with around 30,000 houses affected — 9,000 of which were completely destroyed. Of the total compensation sought, ₹2,781 crore has been earmarked for crop losses and agricultural land that was washed away. The state has also demanded funds for desilting over 85,000 acres of farmland that remain covered under thick layers of silt.
Several villages in Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Fazilka districts, on the international border along Pakistan, and Kapurthala were submerged under nearly 15 feet of floodwater due to excessive rainfall in Himachal Pradesh, leading to swollen rivers, Sutlej, Ravi, and Beas, inundating vast swathes of land.
A 14-member central team had earlier inspected paddy procurement centres in the flood-hit districts to evaluate the quality of freshly harvested grain, much of which was discoloured beyond the permissible limit of 5%. Farmers have been seeking relaxation from the Centre on procurement norms, as they continue to face deductions in crop value.
Chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, while addressing the special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha on September 30, had assured that flood-relief compensation would reach affected farmers before Diwali. However, only a small fraction of the announced aid has been disbursed so far. The state had also passed a resolution seeking a ₹20,000-crore special package from the Centre to rebuild damaged infrastructure, including homes, roads, and schools.