Govt responsible for Hisar flood situation: CPM leaders

A delegation of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and CPM leaders visited several flood-affected villages in the district today and described the situation as “grave” with large-scale destruction of crops and damage to residential houses. The visiting team included AIKS vice-president Inderjit Singh and CPM leaders Surender Singh, Dinesh Siwach, Sandeep Dheeranwas and Rohtas Rajli.

The leaders said the devastation seemed to be a result of “complete negligence” on part of the authorities in taking flood-control measures, despite prior warnings of unprecedented rain. They said drains, canals, and irrigation channels had not been desilted or repaired by the authorities in time. Adding to the crisis, they alleged, relief measures had not been carried out, and essential supplies had not reached poor families in low-lying Dalit localities that remained submerged for two weeks.

Inderjit Singh slammed the government for making it mandatory to register crop losses on the e-Kshatipurti portal, which they said was “non-functional most of the time,” causing harassment to already distressed farmers. He demanded compensation for agricultural workers as well.

The leaders said the government’s compensation was “grossly inadequate,” pointing out that farmers had already spent heavily on inputs, and then, lost their entire crops. More than 200 villages were still suffering from floods, they claimed.

They also demanded the immediate launching of MGNREGA work on a war footing to provide jobs for landless labourers and poor farmers, while also speeding up dewatering operations so that rabi sowing could begin. They warned that houses with cracks were posing a risk, and once the water receded, the risk of disease outbreaks would increase.

The team also praised community-led efforts by villagers who were helping one another in the absence of adequate state support.