3 LAKH ACRES OF LAND IN PUNJAB HIT BY FLOODS
ASSESSMENT UNDERWAY AT GROUND LEVEL FOR COMPENSATION OF DAMAGED CROPS
ANURAG VERMA TAKES STOCK OF RELIEF OPERATIONS IN FEROZEPUR AND FAZILKA
Chandigarh, August 31:
Punjab Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Financial Commissioner Revenue Sh. Anurag Verma today reviewed the flood relief operations in the districts of Ferozepur and Fazilka. He assessed the prevailing situation and directed officials to ensure uninterrupted relief measures for the affected families.
Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Financial Commissioner Revenue Sh. Anurag Verma, after inspecting the villages along the Sutlej river in district Ferozepur today, shared that due to heavy rainfall, nearly 3 lakh acres of land in Punjab have been affected and around 1.25 lakh people have come under the impact of floods. During affected are visit, he was accompanied by Divisional Commissioner Ferozepur Arun Sekhri, Deputy Commissioner Deepshikha Sharma and SSP Bhupinder Singh Sidhu and ADC Damanjit Singh Mann.
Mr. Verma held detailed discussions with the flood-affected villagers and district administration regarding the losses. He said, “the foremost priority of the state government is to ensure the protection of lives, shift people to safe shelters in relief camps and provide food and basic necessities for everyone including children and the elderly.
He stated that the state government has already announced special girdawari to provide compensation for the affected crops. District authorities have been directed to collect accurate data on losses, he said, adding that compensation will be disbursed as per the directions of Chief Minister S. Bhagwant Singh Mann.
In district Ferozepur alone, around 107 villages and nearly 45,000 people have been impacted. Some of the displaced families have been shifted to eight relief camps set up by district administration where they are being provided food supplies and all other essential items.
Referring to village Gatti Rajoke, Mr. Anurag Verma said that residents had drawn attention to slow drainage of floodwaters. Hence, instructions have been issued to the drainage department to expedite dewatering with the help of JCB machines. He further said that due to waterlogging on the roads, several villages have been cut off from connectivity and the administration has been directed to speed up restoration efforts.
The Additional Chief Secretary informed that district authorities are working round the clock to provide relief. Tarpaulins and other necessary supplies are being delivered with the support of NDRF and BSF. So far, more than 3300 people have been rescued. He remarked that the government is going two steps ahead to extend all possible help to the flood-affected families. He further said that the government is fully alert and calculations have already been made in coordination with relevant departments regarding release of water from dams in case of heavy rainfall or regulated drainage if rainfall stops.
He underlined that the state government is fully prepared and has drawn up a comprehensive plan to deal with every situation.
Following this, Mr. Anurag Verma convened meeting with officials at the SDM office, Jalalabad, to review the ongoing flood relief measures in district Fazilka. He directed the Deputy Commissioner and other officers to ensure that relief operations continue without any lapse and that every affected individual receives necessary aid. He assured that there is no shortage of funds for relief work and that the government will release funds as per requirement. The Drainage Department was instructed to maintain strict vigil on the embankments and drains along the Sutlej river and to ensure that no further breach occurs. He further directed that the natural flow of water in the drains must not be obstructed and any blockage, if found, should be cleared immediately to prevent overflow.
Mr. Verma also stressed that people shifted to relief camps should not face any inconvenience and relief material must reach the affected families after proper identification.
Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Deputy Commissioner Amarpreet Kaur Sandhu, Additional Deputy Commissioner General Dr. Mandeep Kaur, SDMs Krishna Pal Rajput and Kamrajit Singh Mann, Assistant Commissioner General Amandeep Singh Mavi, Executive Engineer Drainage Alok Chaudhary and DSP Avinash Chander.
