Punjab CM assesses flood damage, announces Rs 100 cr for relief measures

Chief Minister made the announcements during a tour of the flood-affected areas of Rupnagar district to access the damage due to torrential rains in the past 72 hours.

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Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Monday took stock of the flood situation in the state and announced Rs 100 crore for emergency relief and rehabilitation measures in the affected areas as he described the deluge as "unprecedented".

As soon as the water level recedes, a special 'girdawari' (crop loss assessment) would be conducted to ensure adequate compensation for the affected farmers, he announced.

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The chief minister made the announcements during a tour of the flood-affected areas of Rupnagar district to access the damage due to torrential rains in the past 72 hours.

Amarinder Singh also met with the people who suffered damage to their properties due to the flooding.

He reviewed the overall flood situation in the state with senior officials.

The chief minister, who traveled by road from Chandigarh to Rupnagar, described the situation as "unprecedented" and assured of all possible assistance from his government to the local residents.

He was briefed by the local officials about the damage caused to the standing crops, houses, public installations and livestock due to heavy discharge of water from the catchment area of Bhakra dam.

Interacting with IIT-Ropar students displaced due to heavy flooding on their campus, Singh directed the state administration to ensure their boarding and lodging arrangements at the Punjab Bhawan and Kissan Bhawan in Chandigarh till their return.

Acceding to a request from the Director of the Indian Institute of Technology-Ropar, he asked his chief principal secretary to work out a strategy to ensure foolproof and efficient drainage system to avert recurrence of flooding incidents on the campus.

Reviewing the ground situation at Shampura village after visiting Rupnagar headworks, the chief minister met slum dwellers in the area and directed the district administration to extend all necessary help to the affected families.

He also asked the deputy commissioner to keep a tab over the situation till normalcy returns.

Singh instructed district officials to organize health camps in cooperation with the health department to prevent an outbreak of any water-borne disease in the wake of the floods.

He also asked the state Animal Husbandry Department to provide veterinary health services to the needy and to make necessary arrangements to ensure supply of feed and fodder.

Wading through a flooded road in Khairabad village, the chief minister spoke to the people and listened to their grievances and assured them of prompt redressal.

Earlier, on his arrival, the deputy commissioner informed the chief minister that due to heavy downpour, the total release at Ropar headworks was 2,50,000 cusecs, in addition to an unprecedented increase in flow in many rivulets such as Swan (90,000 cusecs), Sirsa (60,000 cusecs) and Budhki Nadi (20,000 cusecs).

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The DC said the district administration, with the help of police, national disaster response force and NGOs, was able to rescue more than 600 families from 45 villages.

There had been no reports of human life but there was a significant loss of crops and cattle which was being assessed, he added.

The chief minister reviewed the overall flood situation in the state with senior officials.

He was informed by the chief engineer (drainage) that the overall situation in the rivers Beas and Ravi was under control though danger continued to lurk in areas adjacent to the Sutlej river and further downstream, at Harike headworks in Ferozepur.

The flood releases from the Bhakra dam was above its maintainable level, flowing currently at 1681.23 feet, the meeting was informed.

Singh also expressed grief over the death of three persons due to roof collapse in Ludhiana district on Sunday.

He was accompanied by Punjab assembly speaker Rana KP Singh, Technical Education, and Tourism Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, MP from Anandpur Sahib Manish Tewari, and Rupnagar MLA Amarjit Singh Sandra, besides Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar, Principal Secretary.

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A flood-like situation prevailed in many parts of Punjab and Haryana after heavy rains over the past few days.

While the Meteorological department said no heavy rainfall was reported in most parts of Punjab and Haryana on Monday morning, the two states had received heavy rains during the past three days.