Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker writes to PM for special package for flood relief

Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan has written a demi-official letter to Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi drawing his attention to the catastrophic floods that have ravaged the state in recent days. Being the head of Punjab Legislative Assembly, he requested the PM to release a special relief package for the flood-affected areas along with the pending funds of Rs 60,000 crore due to the state as the chief minister already requested.

Speaker Sandhwan wrote the prime minister how the calamity has resulted in an enormous loss of life, property and livestock and not only farming community but the entire state is in severe distress as it caused incalculable loss to farm labourers/industrial labourers, shopkeepers or retailers and industries across the State.

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He called the situation unprecedented, reminiscent of the horrors of 1988, with water levels in rivers like Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rising beyond the historical records due to torrential rains in the region.

Sandhwan further said that as per the recent reports, the floods have claimed more than 29 lives and affected more than 1300 villages across Punjab leading to displacement of thousands of families and as many as 14000 people have been evacuated or rescued by the administration and rescue forces. In addition, the floods have caused extensive damage to crops across approximately 3 lakh acres, destroying standing harvests and rendering fields unusable for the upcoming season. Additionally, countless livestock have perished, leaving farmers in dire straits and exacerbating their financial hardship.

The recent floods have badly affected industries in Punjab by disrupting manufacturing units, supply chains and causing losses across industrial sectors such as textiles, agro-processing, engineering, logistics etc. In view of the gravity of the situation, Sandhwan earnestly requested the Prime Minister to take prompt action on some measures such as immediate special relief package for the affected people of Punjab covering compensation for losses in agriculture, livestock, shop keeping, industry and rebuilding damaged infrastructure.

He stressed the release of the balance amount of the Rural Development Fund and all other pending Central funds to Punjab enabling rural rehabilitation and development. Besides this, Banks/Financial institutions should provide urgent relief to farmers and small businesses such as moratoriums on loan payments, rescheduling loans and interest waivers to safeguard their financial stability and fresh start.

Speaker Sandhwan requested the Prime Minister of India to enhance the Punjab’s management quota in Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) and ensure to fill these posts from Punjab cadre officers to manage and coordinate critical water resources and flood response.

In his letter, he said there was an urgent need to introduce village level crop insurance schemes by replacing existing insurances/policies that benefit insurance companies over farmers, ensuring comprehensive and prompt insurance payments to the farmers who are not even registered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

He further stressed upon official declaration of the Punjab floods as a National Disaster so that the extensive central resources and statutory support mechanisms are triggered for relief and recovery on war footing.

Punjab stands at a crossroads, relying upon the empathy and intervention of the nation’s highest office, we are confident that under your esteemed leadership, our state will receive prompt assistance and effective long-term solution, he added. Sandhwan sincerely hopes that this matter will receive your urgent attention and appropriate action will be taken at the highest level.