Bajwa raises issue of Punjab floods in Lok Sabha, seeks special funds and Army's help for relief

Says, SAD-BJP government failed to cope with the disaster

Chandigarh/New Delhi, August 27, 2013:  Partap Singh Bajwa President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) today during 'Zero Hour' raised in the Lok Sabha, the issue of havoc played by floods in Punjab and the failure of SAD-BJP government in managing the flood situation. Thousands of people were marooned and hundreds of villages were inundated, he told the Parliament.

Bajwa demanded immediate deployment of army and other Para-military forces to rescue the villagers from the flood hit areas and allocate special funds to Punjab for undertaking protection measures at war footing.

The PPCC president while explaining the plight of flood hit people said that large number of villages were submerged in water in districts of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Muktsar, Fazilika and Pathankot. The deluge damaged not only the standing crops in lakhs of acres but also left thousands of people homeless and without food. They waited for relief in vain.

Bajwa said that state government had miserable failed in managing this disaster and was found severely wanting in its relief and rescue measures. He said that it was evident that local authorities had no resources to meet the emergency situation. He said that there was no clue where have the funds given by center government for disaster management had gone. He said that Punjab government had made tall claims of spending huge funds on protection works but it turned out a white lie. He also referred to 8000 people were displaced in Muktsar district since August 14 last. Most of them are daily wagers who have no sources of income. He demanded immediate relief to affected people.

Bajwa said that these floods had become recurring phenomena in the border belt causing irreparable damage to the standing crops and houses. These border villages have been getting step motherly treatment from the state government though the central government allocates resources to these Border States under border area development.

He pleaded for special funds from center government for flood relief and also demanded from Punjab government to pay Rs.25,000 per acre for fully damaged crops and Rs.15,000 for the partially damaged crops.