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Union agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan takes stock of flood situation in Punjab
Governor Gulab Chand Kataria submits report on situation in Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Ferozepur districts after touring them earlier this week
Visiting the flood-affected areas of Punjab on Thursday, Union agriculture and farmers’ welfare minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Punjab had stood as the shield of the nation, and complete relief will be given to its farmers and other people.
The Union minister went to Ghonewal village in Amritsar district, Begowal in Kapurthala district, and Dharamkot Randhawa and Behrampur villages in Gurdaspur district to take stock of the flood situation. He interacted with the farmers and inspected the crop losses by stepping into water-filled fields. Farmers shared their grievances, citing heavy loss to crops.
After visiting flood-hit districts of Punjab, governor Gulab Chand Kataria also paid a courtesy visit to the Union minister at the Amritsar airport and handed over a detailed report on the floods in five districts of Punjab — Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Ferozepur.
The governor apprised the minister about 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 the ongoing relief and rehabilitation measures being carried out by the Punjab government.
Chouhan was accompanied by Union minister of state Ravneet Singh Bittu, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh and BJP Punjab president Sunil Jakhar. Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian and AAP MLA from Ajnala Kuldeep SIngh Dhaliwal also called on him at the airport. Besides, Congress MP from Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla also met him to apprise him of the devastation in the district.
While visiting flood-affected areas, Chouhan acknowledged that the situation was quite grim and the crisis was dreadful. “Floodwater has inundated the fields here since August 26. The water of the Ravi is still flowing into the fields. There is no soil under the feet, only silt. Crops have been completely destroyed and there is also a crisis on the next crop. The pain and loss cannot be estimated. It’s heartbreaking to see the situation. But we will definitely bring our farmer brothers and sisters out of this problem. This is challenging, but every possible effort will be made and complete help will be provided to deliver relief,” the minister assured.
The minister said on the instructions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central government had sent two high-level teams to Punjab to assess the situation, which included officers from the ministries of agriculture, rural development, roads, energy, finance and jal shakti. He said these teams will visit the affected areas, assess the situation and submit their report to the Prime Minister. The state government will also conduct its own assessment.
“The whole country is proud of Punjab as the state has always stood as a shield of the nation in times of crisis. I only want to say that I have come here on the instructions of the Prime Minister, and in this hour of crisis, the government is firmly standing with Punjab, with our farmer brothers and sisters of Punjab, with the people of Punjab. The government will definitely bring the farmers out of this disaster,” Chouhan added.
Punjab agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian urged Chouhan for immediate assistance to address the devastating impact of floods on farmers and crops.
Highlighting the extensive damage caused by floods, Khudian told Chouhan that 4 lakh acres of the state’s agricultural land were submerged under water.
“Paddy is the worst-affected crop. This has happened at a time when the crop was just weeks away from being harvested,” Khudian said, adding that crop damage compensation at ₹6,800 per acre was insufficient, considering the extent of losses incurred by farmers. He urged the central government to increase this compensation to at least ₹50,000 per acre.
Khudian also demanded the immediate release of pending ₹8,000 crore of Rural Development Fund (RDF) and Market Development Fund (MDF).
“Punjab requires a special package to mitigate the impact of the floods and support the state’s economy,” he said. Meanwhile, MP Malvinder Singh Kang, who was in Nawashahar to check the status of a dhussi bundh along the Sutlej, sought a special relief package of ₹60,000 crore from the Union government.
Symbolism sans substance serves no purpose: Warring
Reacting to the Union agriculture minister wading through knee-deep floodwaters, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said mere symbolism without substance will not serve any purpose for the flood-hit people of Punjab.
He noted that it hardly mattered to the affected people whether someone was sitting in his office or wading through floodwaters if they were not properly compensated and rehabilitated, demanding a special ₹50,000-crore flood relief package for Punjab.
