SAD seeks central probe into misuse of ₹12,000 crore disaster management fund

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday demanded a central probe into the alleged misuse of ₹12,000 crore lying with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government under the disaster management fund, following finance minister Harpal Cheema’s claim that no such money was available with the state.

In a statement, senior leaders Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said, “Punjabis want to know the whereabouts of the ₹12,000 crore referred to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to flood-affected areas on Tuesday. This money was meant to provide speedy aid to flood victims, but now the state government asserts that it does not have the funds. This endangers the entire flood relief and rehabilitation exercise. A probe is needed to ascertain whether the guidelines of the Disaster Management Act have been violated and if the AAP government has misused this money. If so, accountability must be fixed and exemplary action taken.”

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Harsimrat Kaur Badal also asked the finance minister to prove that the money was not with the state, pointing out that under the established norms, the disaster management fund was a revolving fund, continuously replenished to ensure states could access it whenever required.

Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said Punjabis should not suffer due to the stand-off between the Centre and the state government. “Farmers and ‘Khet Mazdoor’ should get their due. Compensation must not be delayed. The entire amount of ₹12,000 crore should be made available for flood relief and rehabilitation, as stated by the Prime Minister. A separate probe can determine whether the funds were misused by the state government,” he added.

Meanwhile, the SAD also demanded a separate probe into the management of the Ranjit Sagar Dam, which was under the control of the state government. Badal said that despite advance warnings of heavy rainfall in the catchment areas, the dam’s water level was allowed to reach the danger mark before being released, leading to flooding across thousands of acres. “This amounts to criminal negligence and must be investigated,” she said.

She further alleged that the collapse of a gate at the Madhopur barrage, caused by the government’s failure to strengthen it, worsened the suffering of farmers.

Condemning the AAP government for not holding flood-protection review meetings for the past three years, Badal said, “This was the responsibility of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, but he failed in his duty. Because of this, flood protection works, including strengthening of embankments and cleaning of nalas, were not carried out, resulting in breaches and the inundation of lakhs of acres of farmland.”