Centre only hope for Punjabis, expect little from AAP govt: Sunil Jakhar

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar on Friday said people in the state had “lost hope” in the state government and were placing all their faith in the Centre for flood relief and rehabilitation.

In an interview to The

Tribune a day after he accompanied Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for ground assessment of the disaster across the state, Jakhar said every location the team visited, locals urged that all relief — monetary and in kind — be directly sent to those affected rather than routed through the state machinery.

Jakhar also said the scale of devastation could have been curtailed with timely action by the state and with crackdown on illegal miners who have eroded earthen embankments along rivers.

Jakhar sought a comprehensive package for Punjab and immediate solutions to shelter the homeless. He also said the massive scale of flood devastation witnessed in Punjab could have been averted. Citing ground experience from the Ajnala visit yesterday, Jakhar said locals at Ghonewal village spoke of Dhussi earthen embankment giving way due to rampant illegal mining. “They alleged miners had political patronage. When I asked state government officials briefing the union minister about when the embankment was last fortified, his answer was — not in the recent past,” Jakhar said.

He also lamented lack of preparation for floods, a near annual feature. “No preparatory meetings took place. Such meetings have to be held months in advance. Also, the irrigation minister is on record claiming foolproof arrangements for flood control. So what happened? Is this all nature’s fury or also dereliction of duty by the state government?” asked Jakhar.

On the scale of losses, he said four lakh acre of farms are estimated submerged but the final figure would be known only after waters recede and a proper damage assessment is done.

Crop damage, Jakhar said, appears 100 %. “Normally, the other categories of damage for compensation assessment start from 35 per cent onwards but this time the damage to standing crops, paddy to sugarcane is complete,” he said.

Asked whether more check dams must be constructed on Punjab’s rivers for flood control, Jakhar said a technical assessment in the light of aggravated extreme weather events was the need of the hour. “This assessment should answer what needs to be done to minimise the man made part of the disaster including strengthening river embankments,” he said red flagging the damages to border posts and fencing along the International Border.

Jakhar also hailed Punjabis for opening their hearts at this time of crises and said, “There is an inundation of water which is heart wrenching and equally an inundation of generosity which is heart warming. This is Punjab.”