E-Paper
SAD demands ‘adequate’ relief for flood-hit farmers
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had betrayed the peasantry by limiting proposed disbursal of relief for paddy crop loss to five acres per farmer and announcing relief of ₹6,800 per acre as per Central government norms
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) staged a protest in flood-affected Gidderpindi village of Jalandhar district and demanded the government to provide adequate compensation to farmers.
Addressing the gathering, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had betrayed the peasantry by limiting proposed disbursal of relief for paddy crop loss to five acres per farmer and announcing relief of ₹6,800 per acre as per Central government norms.
“It is shocking that the AAP government has not ensured fair compensation to flood victims by pledging state funds to increase the compensation amount,” he said.
Asserting that even this announced compensation had not been disbursed to farmers so far, Sukhbir said the authorities are yet to complete the process of girdawari to assess crop loss.
“Before elections, chief minister Bhagwant Mann had promised farmers that on coming to power, the AAP would release interim relief of ₹20,000 per acre before the conduct of girdawari,” he said.
He demanded compensation of ₹50,000 per acre for farmers, ₹20,000 for farm labourers and ₹2 lakh to all whose houses were damaged.
Stating that the floods in Punjab were a man-made tragedy, Sukhbir held the chief minister responsible for it. He said the chief minister did not hold any meeting on flood prevention works before the onset of monsoon and later did not regulate the release of water from the Bhakra and Pong dams which led to flooding in various parts of the state.
