Punjab minister seeks Centre’s support to mitigate recurring flood devastation

Chandigarh: Punjab Information & Public Relations minister Harjot Singh Bains on Saturday urged the Union government for immediate and substantial support to mitigate the recurring flood devastation in the state, specifically calling for the channelisation of the Sarsa and Swan rivers.

In a video message, Bains welcomed Union minister L. Murugan, who visited the flood-ravaged areas of Rupnagar district. He pressed for a permanent solution by channelising the two rivers, terming it a critical project to prevent future disasters. He also sought the Union Minister’s proactive role in securing approvals and funding from the Centre.

Bains appealed to Punjab’s BJP leaders to ensure that Murugan saw the real extent of the damage. “I appeal to them to take Dr Murugan not just to the main sites, but to villages Khera Kalmot, Bellas, and other severely affected areas, where the poor have lost their meagre belongings. Let him see the reality beyond the formal briefings,” he said.

Criticising the relief measures, Bains termed the Rs 1,600 crore package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “grossly inadequate” compared to damages running into thousands of crores. He said the norms of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) made the compensation a “mockery of the suffering.”

“The compensation of Rs 6,500 for a partially damaged pucca house and Rs 2,500 for destroyed household essentials is an insult. Can a home be rebuilt with this sum? Is this what our nation of-fers to those who feed it?” Bains asked.

He further urged the Union minister to visit fields in Ha-riwal and Chandpur Bella to see whether the Rs 6,800 per acre compensation even covered the diesel cost of clearing ruined.