Punjab Congress president Partap Singh Bajwa on Friday flayed the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for pitiable plight of the farmers who had been adversely affected due to heavy rains.
“What is all the more shocking that the state government has so far been indifferent in providing immediate succour to the needy,” he said.
Bajwa pointed out that the compensation sought by the state government from the Centre earlier was mainly for the drought relief and the present situation was not covered under that.
Expressing apprehension that the stagnant water might lead to outbreak of disease, Bajwa called upon the state government to seek financial package for both the drought affected and those who had been hit by heavy rains.
He also referred to the social tension having been erupted in some areas leading to law and order problem over the issue of diversion of rain water.
Bajwa pointed that what had complicated the situation was neglect of situation at the ground level over the years, particularly in the water-logged areas where the situation gets complicated every year due to rains.
He recalled the Badal government had claimed to have spent about Rs 400 crore to provide succour to the water logged areas during its 1997-2002 term but the same had gone down the drain by way of misappropriation and the problem returned within no time to haunt the people.
Demanding separate package of compensation for the cotton growers, he said that the worst hit in Punjab was the cotton belt as the crop had reached the flowering stage.
PPCC chief called for a long term strategy to find a permanent solution to the problem which was recurring in nature.