Balbir Singh Seechewal demands loan deferment, compensation for flood-hit farmers

Rajya Sabha member and environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chauhan and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, strongly demanding compensation for flood-affected farmers.

In his letter, he mentioned that in the Mand area, such calamities occur almost every second or third year, resulting in the destruction of thousands of acres of crops.

Through the letter, Seechewal also demanded that repayment of loans taken by the affected farmers from banks should be deferred. He said that when the crops have already been destroyed, how can the farmers be expected to pay back their loan installments? He further urged the government to conduct special surveys of the farmers’ fields so that the actual extent of damage can be assessed.

Today morning at 8, Seechewal personally visited Baupur to review the ongoing relief work at the Beas river. He informed that the advance embankments on the river are under threat of breaching at three places — Karmuwal Pattan, Baupur and Ahli Kalan. He stated that farmers are working tirelessly to prevent these embankments from breaking.

Seechewal also stressed that farmers in the Mand area of Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts of Punjab should be given adequate compensation for their flood-damaged crops. He explained that the area, which lies like an island in the middle of the Beas river, consists of about 16 villages, all of which are terribly affected at present. Continuous rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab over the past several days has further worsened the situation.

Seechewal said that water is being continuously released from the Pong Dam in Himachal Pradesh. By the time it reaches the Mand area, the water volume exceeds 1,25,000 cusecs. For the past week, particularly paddy crops have remained submerged and have now started rotting. Fodder for cattle is also decaying, causing foul odour across the entire region.

He said during the floods of 2023, farmers in Punjab also suffered large-scale losses of crops and property.

Through his letter, Seechewal urged that the government must stand by every farmer in Punjab and across the country whose crops have been destroyed due to floods.