Harsimrat accuses Capt of doing little to help flood victims

Ludhiana: The Union minister of food processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Friday took a dig at chief minister Amarinder Singh and his government for “failing to take preventive measures” against floods in the wake of heavy rains.
The minister earlier during the day visited Bholewal and took stock of the repair work at the site of breach in Bholewal and Allowal.She also interacted with villagers and said the state government had failed to do anything for the flood victims.
Speaking to media, she said: “Had the government acted timley and issued grants for all the districts to get the drains cleaned in the villages and secured bundhs, the situation would have been different. We were in power in the state for 10 years and natural calamities occurred during our time, but our visionary chief minister Parkash Singh Badal used to call meetings of deputy commissioners of all the districts six months prior to the monsoon. After taking estimate of the expenditure, he used to release money to the districts for cleaning of drains, fortifying bundhs.”
Asking what the chief minister has done so far, she said except for writing a letter to the central government for seeking funds and touring the affected areas in helicopter, nothing had been done to help the affected locals.
“Calamity of such a big magnitude has occurred in Punjab. The poor have lost everything overnight, including their crops, houses and cattle, but the state government so insensitive that instead of extending help to the victims, only tours are being conducted through helicopter,” she said.
The minister also appealed to SAD leaders and workers to carry out relief works in the flood-affected areas and donate generously to help the flood victims.
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Administration on a warfooting
In a relief to the district administration battling to plug the breach at the bundh near Bholewal village, around 80 per cent of the breach has been plugged so far and about 25-feet wide breach is left. Work is on and is likely to be completed in the next 2 to 3 days. However, the breach at a bundh in Garhi Fazal, was eroded by the river water on Thursday night. But timely action by people working on the spot saved the situation from turning worse.