BJP govt should declare Haryana flood-affected state: Hooda

Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday demanded that Haryana be declared a flood-affected state, urging the BJP government to seek a special package from the Centre. He said the situation was worse than the floods of 1995 and required immediate intervention.

“The Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister should visit Haryana like they did in Punjab to assess the loss. The fact that Central leaders are not coming to Haryana shows the big failure of the state government,” Hooda said after visiting flood-hit areas of Yamunanagar district, including Bambholi, Bibipur, Odri, Lapra and Kamalpur villages.

Driving a tractor himself to reach the Yamuna belt in Lapra village, Hooda witnessed large-scale crop destruction caused by erosion and overflowing waters.

“About 17 lakh acres of standing crops in Haryana have been destroyed. Nearly 5,000 villages, 11 cities, 72 towns and hundreds of wards are affected,” he said.

Farmers told him their sugarcane and paddy crops had been completely ruined, while heavy deposits of sand made cultivation for the next season nearly impossible. Hooda alleged illegal mining had altered the course of the Yamuna, aggravating the floods.

“Under government protection, mining mafias have changed the river’s course, leaving villages at risk every year,” he claimed.

The former CM demanded compensation of Rs 60,000–70,000 per acre for farmers, along with relief for houses, shops and buildings damaged in the floods. He also sought a special girdawari and immediate financial help.

“The government should also increase the sugarcane price to at least Rs 500 per quintal,” Hooda added.