Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday visited Punjab's flood-hit areas of Banga, Balachaur and Anandpur Sahib and demanded that the AAP government announce a relief package for all people severely affected by the deluge. Badal, who visited the affected areas on a tractor, asked party workers to redouble their efforts in assisting those in need of food and medical aid.
Incessant rains from Saturday to Monday led to swelling of rivers and major canals were breached, inundating roads, residential colonies as well as tracts of agricultural fields. As water gushed into houses in parts of the state, authorities raced to bring affected people to safety. Breakdown in power and water supply in some of the worst-affected areas of Punjab escalated people's problems.
Rains and floods have wreaked unimaginable havoc on the farmers. The AAP government should approach the Centre and prevail upon it to declare the current situation a natural calamity to avail funds from the National Disaster Management Fund, the SAD chief said.
In the meantime, the state government should announce a relief package for all displaced persons, those whose houses had been damaged, farmers as well as the poor whose livelihood has been adversely affected by the incessant rains and consequent waterlogging, he said.
"Thousands of acres of paddy has been destroyed and the farmers are staring at a bleak future with no time to raise paddy nursery again for transplantation. Marginal farmers growing vegetables had been devastated with their entire produce being destroyed, Badal said. At Cheta village, people alleged that the state government did not clean the drain in the area which added to their miseries.
"Rs 5 lakh should be given to each of those whose houses have been damaged while farmers should be given an interim relief of Rs 25,000 per acre pending a survey of loss," Badal said.
At Rakram Bet village in Balachaur, people approached the SAD chief to complain about the acute shortage of fodder for milch animals. Badal said while the SAD workers were doing their bit to supply fodder and food packets to affected villages, the government should take urgent steps to provide fodder in all affected villages.
