A senior official said on Saturday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit flood affected areas of Punjab on 9 September. The Prime Minister’s Office has informed the Punjab government that it can visit the three districts affected by the most affected, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran. Punjab is facing its most severe floods in decades, due to heavy rains in North India, Sutlej, Vyas and Ravi and many seasonal rivers are in spate. The Center has assured that Punjab will “be left alone in this crisis” and is working on short -term, medium period and long -term plans to help farmers. During his visit, the Prime Minister can focus on the necessary issues such as silt removal from the fields, preventing outbreaks of diseases and safe disposal of dead animals after flood waters are reduced.
During this visit, they are expected to review the damage caused by rising water level, which submerged the villages in many districts and destroyed crops. Announcing the visit on X, BJP’s Punjab handle said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is coming to Gurdaspur in Punjab on 9 September. He will meet the flood affected brothers and sisters and farmers directly, share their grief and take all possible steps to help the victims.” Government sources said that the Center is committed to ensure that Punjab is not alone in this crisis. The Prime Minister’s visit will focus on both immediate and long -term relief measures, including removing silt from the fields, prevention of diseases and safe disposal of dead animals after flood water decreases.
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AAP Minister Cheema criticized the government
Meanwhile, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, while criticizing the Center, alleged that the Prime Minister has not reacted to the AAP government’s demand to release the dues of the state Rs 60,000 crore. He said that the state has lost Rs 50,000 crore due to the implementation of GST, while the Center has not paid Rs 8,000 crore from the Rural Development Fund.
Cheema claimed that the Union ministers’ Punjab tour was just a “chance to take photographs” and accused the BJP -led government of “failing” the state in times of crisis. He alleged that no relief package has been announced yet despite the loss of life and property in the floods.
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Cheema said, “Whenever there was a flood in other states, the Center took action in a few days. It has been 15 days since Punjab was affected by the floods, but the Prime Minister has not said a word to stand with the people.” He further said that the agricultural sector has suffered heavy losses in 18 districts.
Relief and rehabilitation will be done through coordinated efforts between the Center and the State Government, which will ensure implementation at the ground level. Sources said that the Prime Minister can emphasize the immediate need to strengthen the embankments of the Sutlej, Vyas, Ravi and Ghaggar rivers during his visit, which have been weakened for years due to illegal mining and lack of maintenance. These efforts are expected to be a part of a comprehensive flood control scheme, which will be based on measures implemented during the Vajpayee-Badal period, and will also include the new work initiatives of Prime Minister Modi for disaster preparation and renovation.
Sources said that the government’s schemes for Punjab include short -term, medium period and long -term measures, which are aimed at helping farmers to overcome destruction, restore livelihood and ensure state’s capacity towards future floods. Punjab has been devastated by continuous monsoon rains, in which more than 1,900 villages of 23 districts have been submerged. According to the state government, at least 43 people have died, while the crops on about 1.71 lakh hectares of land have been destroyed. The large part of agricultural land is submerged, rivers are flowing above the danger mark and many highways are blocked due to landslides and floods.
The visit is taking place amidst the demand of central assistance to deal with the deteriorating flood crisis by the state governments. Earlier, government sources had said that Prime Minister would also visit several other flood affected states of North India to assess the ground situation and review the ongoing relief measures. One of the worst affected states, Himachal Pradesh has caused incidents of sudden floods, 45 times cloudburst and 132 major landslides since the onset of monsoon on 20 June.
At least 355 people have lost their lives in rain -related incidents and road accidents, while 49 others are missing. The total estimated loss to the state has reached Rs 3,787 crore, with 1,217 roads, including major routes in Mandi, Shimla, Kullu and Chamba districts, are still blocked. It is raining continuously. Several major roads including Jammu-Srinagar National Highway have been closed due to landslides and many parts of the road being washed away. Other major highways like Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch and Batote-Doda-Kishtwar are also blocked due to similar damage.