Girdawari in flood-hit areas to begin today: MLA Dhaliwal

Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, MLA of the flood-affected Ajnala constituency, has announced that the Punjab Government will begin official girdawari (crop and property damage assessment) from September 13 in the flood-affected areas, including Ajnala. The surveys aim to assess crop damage, destroyed houses and livestock losses caused by recent floods, in order to provide compensation to eligible beneficiaries.

Issuing strict instructions to the Revenue Department staff and other officials deployed for this task, Dhaliwal stressed that the work must be carried out with complete honesty and transparency. He warned that depriving flood victims of their rightful compensation, or granting benefits through political influence or personal greed, would not be tolerated, adding that taking bribes in such duties was akin to feeding poison to one’s own family.

He expressed these views during a visit to Nangal Sohal, a border village near the Ravi, which suffered extensive flood damage. Accompanied by Ajnala SDM Ravinder Singh Arora, Dhaliwal distributed relief kits, cots and mattresses to 359 beneficiaries, with assistance from the Sri Guru Kalgi Dhar Trust, Baru Sahib.

In a similar effort at Harrad Khurd, another flood-affected village, blankets and cots were distributed to around 100 residents with the support of Block president and Sarpanch Luvpreet Singh Harrad and local social workers.

Dhaliwal stated that the girdawari and damage assessment surveys will be completed by mid-October, enabling the government to issue compensation cheques before Diwali. He claimed that in the first phase of relief efforts, more than 3,200 people from 100 flood-affected villages in Ajnala were safely evacuated to other locations by the administration and social workers.

In the second phase, stranded villagers, many without food or water, stuck on rooftops, were provided essential supplies, giving them what Dhaliwal described as “a new lease on life.”

The MLA reiterated that the Mann government is fully committed to supporting and improving the lives of those affected by the floods during this time of crisis.