PUNJAB NEWS: Badal expresses solidarity with Uttarakhand government and its people

Chandigarh, July 1, 2013: Expressing solidarity with the Uttarakhand Government and its people who have been rendered homeless due to the devastating floods across the state, the Punjab government has decided to send ten thousand tones of Atta/rice, 100 tones of sugar besides 10,000 blankets/shawls and sweaters for the victims of one of the worst natural calamities that ravaged the ‘Valley of Gods’ beyond anyone’s imagination.

Presiding over a high level meeting of senior officers of state administration here at Chief Minister’s residence this morning, the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal reiterated his commitment to bailout the Uttarakhand Government and its inhabitants, who had severely hit by the recent fury of foods and said it was our bounden duty to provide succor to them this hour of crisis.

Aiding the state in its rebuilding process, Badal also decided to construct the dwelling units for the victims in nearly 25 villages, whose houses had been completely demolished due to floods and were rendered shelter less, for which he had deputed the Secretary and Chief Engineer of PWD (B&R) to work out modalities and logistics with the Uttarakhand Government besides fixing priorities for the execution of this gigantic task in accordance with their advice.

The Chief Minister had also constituted a high level committee under the Chairmanship of state Chief Secretary with Financial Commissioner Revenue, Relief & Rehabilitation, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Principal Secretary Coordination, Secretary Food & Civil Supplies and Secretary PWD (B&R), as the members to oversee the entire relief & rehabilitation operations and the committee had been mandated to ensure adequate deployment of staff and vehicles for proper disbursement of relief material to the victims in consultation with the Uttarakhand administration.

The chief minister also appealed to the people of Punjab to donate generously for this noble cause as the Punjabis were known for magnanimity and sense of belongingness world over and called upon them to demonstrate their all pervasive spirit of charity.

Meanwhile, the Food & Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon assured the Chief Minister that the Department would leave no stone unturned in accomplish this robust exercise with missionary zeal. He said that the officials of department of Food and Civil Supplies would coordinate with district administration for the dispatch of relief material in Uttarakhand.

Prominent among who attended the meeting, Food & Civil Supplies Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh, Financial Commissioner Revenue NS Kang, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister SK Sandhu, Principal Secretary Coordination Sanjay Kumar and Secretary Food & Civil Supplies DS Grewal.