Chandigarh, September 03:
Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker S Kultar Singh Sandhwan has written a demi-official letter to Prime Minister of India Sh. Narendra Modi for bringing his immediate kind attention towards the catastrophic floods that have ravaged Punjab State in recent days.
Being the head of Punjab Legislative Assembly, Speaker has requested to release a special relief package for the flood affected areas of Punjab alongwith the release of pending funds of Rs 60,000 crores due for Punjab, as Punjab Chief Minister has also already requested the Government of India.
Speaker Sandhwan requested the Prime Minister of India that this calamity has resulted in an enormous loss of life, property, livestock and has not only farming community into severe distress but also have caused incalculable loss to farm labourers / industrial labourers, shopkeepers / retailers and industries across the State.
He added that this situation is unprecedented, reminiscent of the horrors of 1988, with water levels in rivers like Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rising beyond the historical records due to torrential rains in the region.
Highlighting further, Speaker Sandhwan said that as per the recent reports, the floods have claimed more than 29 lives and affected more than 1300 villages across Punjab leading to displacement of thousands of families and as many as 14000 people have been evacuated /rescued by the administration and rescue forces.
In addition, the floods have caused extensive damage to crops across approximately 3 lakh acres, destroying standing harvests and rendering fields unusable for the upcoming season. Additionally, countless livestock have perished, leaving farmers in dire straits and exacerbating their financial hardship. The recent floods have badly affected industries in Punjab by disrupting manufacturing units, supply chains and causing losses across industrial sectors such as textiles, agro-processing, engineering, logistics etc.
Given the gravity of the situation, Sandhwan earnestly requested the Prime Minister to take prompt action on some measures such as immediate special relief package for the affected people of Punjab covering compensation for losses in agriculture, livestock, shop keeping, industry and rebuild damaged infrastructure.
He stressed upon to release of the balance amount of the Rural Development Fund and all other pending central fund to Punjab enabling rural rehabilitation and development. Besides this, Banks/Financial institutions should provide urgent relief to farmers and small businesses such as moratoriums on loan payments, rescheduling loans and interest waivers to safeguard their financial stability and fresh start.
Speaker Sandhwan requested the Prime Minister of India to enhance the Punjab’s management quota in Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and ensure to fill these posts from Punjab cadre officers to manage and coordinate critical water resources and flood response.
In his letter, Sandhwan said that urgent need is required to introduce village level crop insurance scheme by replacing existing insurances / polices that benefit insurance companies over farmers, ensuring comprehensive and prompt insurance payments to the farmers who are not even registered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.
He further stressed upon official declaration of the Punjab floods as a National Disaster so that the extensive central resources and statutory support mechanisms are triggered for relief and recovery on war footing.
Punjab stands at a crossroads, relying upon the empathy and intervention of the nation’s highest office, we are confident that under your esteemed leadership, our State will receive prompt assistance and effective long-term solution, he added. Sandhwan sincerely hope that this matter will receive your urgent attention and appropriate action will be taken at the highest level.
