Amritsar MP and former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday demanded that the rivers in Punjab should be aligned properly to tackle the threat of floods in the region.
The senior Congress leader said this here while on his way to Khadoor Sahib in Tarn Taran to participate in a state-level rally.
Accompanied by Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, Sultanpur Lodhi legislator Navtej Singh and Khadoor Sahib MLA Ramandeep Singh Sikki, he listened to the grievances of farmers during his stop at Mundi Morh, a highly flood-prone area, in Kapurthala district.
Mundi Morh, comprising nearly 40 villages and situated along to the Beas, is a highly flood- prone belt where rise in the water levels of the Beas results in the destruction of crops over dozens of acres every year.
After listening to the problems faced by people living in the surrounding villages of the belt, Amarinder ensured that he would take up the matter in Parliament.
“Rivers in Punjab, including the Sutlej and the Beas, need to be aligned to control floods in the state in future. Due to ban on sand mining by the government, the level of rivers has been rising due to deposition of sand, which is causing floods in the region.,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Rivers in Punjab, including the Sutlej and the Beas, need to be aligned to control floods in the state in future. Due to ban on sand mining by the government, the level of rivers has been rising due to deposition of sand, which is causing floods in the region.,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“Once our government comes in power in the 2017 assembly elections, we will legalise sand mining which will not only help lower the level of rivers but also lead to decrease in the sand prices,” he further said.
The Amritsar MP said to save crops in the coming years, they will try to convert this part of the river into a canal so that crops cultivated by farmers are not damaged.
“Due to the erroneous policies of the Badal government, Punjab is suffering,” he claimed.
Earlier, Congress workers led by local MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh gave a floral welcome to the former chief minister outside the Shalimar Bagh on his arrival to the heritage city.