Punjab responded swiftly, compassionately to flood crisis, says Minister Harpal Singh Cheema; demands accountability, aid from Centre

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 6 (ANI): Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema connected Saturday termed the ongoing floods successful the authorities arsenic being the worst successful 5 decades, saying that portion the authorities has responded with urgency and compassion portion the Centre has failed to widen the needed support.

Addressing a property league astatine Punjab Bhawan, helium said that incessant rains successful Punjab and neighbouring elevation states person triggered large-scale devastation, affecting astir 2,000 villages and implicit 4 lakh citizens, portion 46 lives person been mislaid crossed the state.

Agriculture, the backbone of the state's economy, has suffered extended harm with 1.72 lakh hectares of farmland impacted crossed 18 districts. Homes, livestock and nationalist infrastructure person besides borne the brunt of the disaster, portion the Ghaggar stream has crossed the information people of 750 feet. The Finance Minister said that contempt the unprecedented standard of the disaster, the Punjab Government moved swiftly to motorboat coordinated rescue and alleviation operations. More than 22,000 radical person been evacuated to safety, and astir 200 alleviation camps person been acceptable up crossed the state, presently sheltering implicit 7,000 affected people.

He informed that 24 teams of the National Disaster Response Force and 2 teams of the State Disaster Response Force are connected the ground, supported by 144 boats and a authorities authorities helicopter. Cheema stressed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, elder enactment leaders, furniture ministers, MPs, MLAs and volunteers of the Aam Aadmi Party are moving shoulder-to-shoulder with citizens astatine the grassroots. Panchayats, NGOs and the full authorities machinery are actively engaged successful ensuring relief, information and payment of the affected.

He further informed that the Revenue Department has already released Rs 71 crore for alleviation efforts. In addition, showing solidarity, the full Punjab Cabinet and each legislators person contributed 1 month's wage to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. AAP MPs from some Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are besides utilising their MP funds to enactment flood victims, portion the state's Excise and Taxation Department has contributed Rs 50 lakh for alleviation measures.

Cheema recalled that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected August 31, demanding contiguous merchandise of implicit Rs 60,000 crore owed to Punjab. These see GST compensation, RDF and MDF dues, and funds nether the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

Expressing heavy disappointment, Cheema condemned the Centre's 'photo-op visits' without announcing immoderate alleviation bundle oregon fiscal support. He rejected the Centre's assertion that amerciable mining was liable for floods successful Punjab, calling it politically motivated and biased. Questioning wherefore the Centre does not springiness akin explanations for floods successful different states, Cheema said that alternatively of helping Punjab, the BJP-led authorities is resorting to petty politics.

He expressed dismay that portion humanitarian assistance is being extended to earthquake-hit Afghanistan nether Taliban rule, the aforesaid sensitivity is being denied to Punjab's citizens. The Minister said that though the Centre claims to beryllium assessing the losses, nary information has been sought from Punjab truthful far, adjacent though the authorities is afloat prepared to supply it.

Concluding his address, the authorities concern curate said that the Centre has wholly failed Punjab successful this hr of crisis. He appealed for contiguous corrective action, demanding merchandise of the pending Rs 60,000 crore and urgent dispatch of alleviation worldly and fiscal assistance to fortify flood alleviation operations. (ANI)