To assess the damage caused by the overflowing Beas river waters Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday surveyed the flood-affected areas of Tarn Taran and Kapurthala districts.
Capt Amarinder announced that special girdawari, ordered by him earlier, will be completed at the earliest, paving way for release of compensation to the affected farmers.
He also announced that compensation will also be provided to the people whose houses had been damaged in the incessant rains or floods.
Directing the district officials to closely monitor the situation and ensure timely assistance to the people affected by the floods, the Chief Minister described the damage to the crops in areas around the Beas River as “considerable”.
He, however, said that the situation wasn’t as bad as he had envisaged before leaving for their aerial survey. “Reports of some crop damage have also been received from districts of Gurdaspur and Amritsar, besides Tarn Taran and Kapurthala,” he said.
Allaying fears of farmers that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) will not procure their produce due to higher moisture content this year, the Chief Minister said that he had already taken up the matter with the concerned authorities. “You will not face any problems in procurement,” he assured the farmers.
On landing at Amarkot helipad in Tarn Taran, the Chief Minister was briefed by the district officials about the flood situation. He later met the residents of the area and assured them that the Government will provide all possible help to those whose crops and houses had been damaged by the incessant rains and floods.
He said that compensation will also be paid for loss of any livestock.
The Chief Minister also met the family of 18-year-old Gurbeer Singh, who was washed away in an overflowing drain on Monday, and announced a compensation of Rs 3.5 lakhs for his family.
Chief Minister, who has been personally monitoring the flood situation, said that the special girdawari will be conducted as soon as the flood waters recede. “Once the Revenue Department receives the girdawari reports from the Deputy Commissioners, the amount of compensation will be decided on the basis of the extent of damage suffered by individuals,” he said.
Responding to a question, the Chief Minister said that Punjab had rejected the Union Government’ crop insurance scheme as it was against the interests of the farmers as well as of the state.
“If the Centre does not alter the scheme to meet Punjab’s requirements, the State Government would come out with its own insurance policy for the benefit of farmers. At present, the compensation to farmers will be paid from the State Government’s Calamity Fund,” he said.
The Chief Minister later visited the Mand area of Sultanpur Lodhi and met the farmers, whose crops had suffered extensive damage due to flooding. Responding to their demand that all pontoon bridges in the district should be replaced with permanent ones, the Chief Minister said that he will take up the matter with the Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.