Badal announces to defer recovery of crop loans in flood areas

Hari Ke Pattan/Chandigarh, August 21, 2013: In a major relief to the flood affected farmers, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today announced to defer the recovery of crop loans of the Co-operative societies thereby converting their short term crop loans into medium term crop loans in order to ease out pressure of repayment on them.

Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s office said that an announcement to this regard was by Badal after undertaking a whirlwind tour to the flood affected areas in the sub divisions of Ajnala in Amritsar District and Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district besides Dhusi Bandh (Gatti Harike) over river Sutlej in district Tarn Taran to take stock of the situation on the spot.

The Chief Minister visited these areas and interacted with the people to intensify the relief and rehabilitation measures.

The Chief Minister ordered to immediately conduct special Girdawri for assessing the loss caused to the standing crops besides survey to ascertain the damage caused to house property in these flood ravaged areas due to heavy rains in the upper reaches of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Mr. Badal asked the FCR to instruct all the Deputy Commissioners especially in the flood affected areas to get girdawri executed by the revenue officials under direct supervision of an officer not below the rank of PCS so that proper assessment of the entire damage could be done and adequate compensation to the flood affected victims be disbursed accordingly.  He assured the people that the extensive damage caused to the public installations would be undertaken on the priority besides strengthening the flood protection works immediately after the water recedes by the district administration in tandem with PWD (B&R), Mandi Board, Water Supply and Sanitation and PSPCL.

At village Gati Harike on the demand of residents of the nearby villages, the Chief Minister announced that the state government would soon construct the four kilometer stretch of road on Dhussi Bundh.

Later talking to the media persons the Chief Minister said he would soon take up with the Government of India to immediately revise the natural calamity norms to ensure adequate compensation to the affected people by such calamities of and on. He pointed out that State Government had already hike the compensation from Rs. 3000 to Rs. 5000 per acre to bail out the people afflicted with such natural calamities.

Slamming the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Partap Singh Bajwa, the Chief Minister said that he was politicking on recent floods’ situation across the state following heavy rains in the catchment areas of Ranjit Sagar, Pong, Bhakra Dams. Mr. Badal said, “Had Bajwa ever seriously concerned about the situation he would have mounted pressure on Congress led UPA Government at Center to pay Rs. 25000 per acre as compensation to the Punjabi farmers rather creating hype in the media.” The Chief Minister said that he would not be ever indebted to Bajwa, if he secures this quantum of relief for the Punjabi farmers, whose crops have been totally vanished but also thank him personally by calling on him at his residence.

The Chief Minister announced appreciation letters to Deputy Commissioner Amritsar and SDM Ajnala who did good work in preventing breach of advance bundh and inundation of 11000 acres of land displacement of many people. 

The Chief Minister was accompanied by Cabinet Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, former Minister Jathedar Ranjit Singh Brahampura, State BJP President Kamal Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prof. Virsa Singh Valtoha, Financial Commissioner Revenue N.S. Kang and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister S.K. Sandhu.

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Shahpur Post (Ajnala/Amritsar): Chief Minister Punjab Parkash Singh Badal today visited the flood affected areas in Ajnala Sector and inspected the ongoing restoration work along the banks of Ravi River.

He was accompanied by Rattan Singh Ajnala, Member Parliament, Amarpal Singh Boni, MLA, S.K. Sandhu, Principal Secretary, N.S.Kang, Financial Commissioner Revenue, Sarvesh Kaushal, Principal Secy. Irrigation, Ishwar Chander, I.G Police,  Rajat Aggarwal, Deputy Commissioner and other senior officials from drainage department.

Expressing satisfaction over the nature and pace of strengthening operations on Dhussi Bandh, Badal said that the timely action by District Administration coupled with the mighty input from the local residents and BSF, a major tragedy has been averted.  He said that throughout the operation, he maintained a constant touch with Distt Administration telephonically and took stalk of the situation on hourly basis.

Badal said that with the construction of Ranjit Sagar Dam the probability of flood in Ajnala Sector has been reduced to quite an extent and it is one of the rarest of rare occasions that the water level swelled up to 5 lac cusecs against 24000 cusecs of routine flow, just in a short span of time.  Yet, in the nick of time, the District Administration rose of up to the occasion, successfully evacuated the area and plugged the breach in Dhussi Bandh thereby saving precious human lives, said he. He added that Govt. would issue appreciation letters to all concerned.

Answering the query pertaining future flood control measures, Badal informed that Rs 161 crore proposal for strengthening the embankments and other flood control measures in the region has been forwarded by the drainage department and the same would be implemented soon after the review by the officials concerned. He added that he was on a 3 day tour to the flood affected areas of Amritsar, Tarntaran, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Muktsar and after assessing the ground realities a comprehensive strategy for better flood protection would be evolved.

Conceding to the demands of the locals, Badal gave an immediate consent to the construction of Pantoon Bridge on Ravi in Ajnala Sector. Badal informed that with all requests for compensation to the farmers having land across fencing turned deaf ear by Centre Govt, the Govt. of Punjab has provided a compensation of Rs. 3000 per acre to such farmers and Rs.70 lac have been provided to the District Administration for prompt distribution over and above the funds allocated for Border Area Development.

Answering yet another query on demand for compensation to the tune of Rs. 30,000 per acre for farmers of the flood affected areas by PPCC Chief Partap Singh Bajwa, Badal said that instead of indulging into flood politics and publicity gimmicks, Bajwa should come up with something concrete and should take up the cause of farmers with Centre Govt.  He said that he has complete empathy for flood affected farmers and would take up their case with Centre Govt. for multifold hike in compensation as against the set amount of Rs. 5000 per acre.