AAP govt has failed in crises mgmt, flood losses could have been averted: Kalia

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has failed in flood crisis management miserably which cost farmers heavily said Manoranjan Kalia, BJP leader and former Punjab minister, who was in the city on Saturday.

While taking to mediapersons at the BJP office, Kalia said the recent floods cost widespread losses as crops on over 4.8 lakh acres was destroyed, around 17,000 houses damaged, over 2.5 lakh livestock affected and 4,657 km of rural roads and 485 bridges faced major damages. The losses due to the floods could have been averted had the AAP government taken the Meteorological Department’s warning of above normal rainfall seriously.

The BJP leader said the AAP government in the state had miserably failed to take preemptive measures for pre-flood preparations and precautions as per the SDRF guidelines. The SDRF guidelines emphasise a proactive approach to flood management, focusing on preparedness, preventions and mitigation.

“In July 2023, Punjab had similar flood in Sultanpur Lodhi, Patiala, Ropar, Dera Bassi and other areas due to constant rain affecting 1,056 villages. Following the devastating 2023 floods, a joint committee of Punjab, Himachal and Uttarakhand proposed a hazard survey for the flood plains of Sutlej, Beas and Ghagar in June 2024 to mitigate flood risk. Despite an estimated cost of Rs 8.92 crore for the Sutlej’s digital alleviation model, the AAP government has even failed to float tender for the project for over 15 months,” he said.