Haven’t got penny from Centre’s Rs 1,600-cr flood relief, says Mann

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Saturday claimed that the state has not received a single from the Centre's Rs 1,600-crore special relief package announced after the devastating floods this year.

Addressing the media in Chandigarh, Mann said the BJP leadership in Punjab was misleading people by claiming the funds had been transferred. “The Central government has not given even a single penny out of the Rs 1,600-crore package promised to Punjab. The BJP leadership in the state is spreading lies,” he asserted.

However, countering the claim, Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu said the state's AAP government was playing "dirty politics" on the issue. “CM Mann’s claim is false. The compensation has been paid through the Central grants. The state government advertisements on flood relief also mention the grants have been used to pay the compensation,” he said.

Bittu said Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had clarified the issue already, but it was surprising the Punjab CM was still making "false" claims.

Mann, however, said the funds received by the state so far were only routine allocations under the existing Central schemes, such as the State Disaster Response Fund, which Punjab would have received even without the floods. “These are not special flood relief funds. These are the funds Punjab gets every year under normal Central schemes. The special package the BJP leaders keep boasting about has seen zero disbursement to date,” Mann said.

The Centre had announced the compensation after widespread damage was caused by the floods during the monsoon in the state.

The Centre had announced a special assistance package of approximately Rs 1,600 crore, over and above the regular SDRF norms. The package was meant for rebuilding infrastructure, compensating farmers and providing housing relief.

Punjab BJP leaders, including state president Sunil Jakhar and working president Ashwani Sharma, have repeatedly highlighted transfers worth hundreds of crores as the evidence of the Modi government’s support, dismissing the AAP government’s complaints as "political theatrics".

Meanwhile, Mann on Saturday announced the biggest road construction project being taken up in the history of the state, targeting to construct 44,920 km of roads with a total cost of Rs 16,209 crore.

He said the state government had decided that by the end of the next year, it would build a total of 44,920 km of roads across all villages, towns and cities.

Mann said the roads would be constructed with a five-year maintenance clause, ensuring the highest quality standards along with world-class road safety features.

Speaking about the strike by the PRTC staff, the CM appealed to all employees to return to work and adopt the path of dialogue with the government. He said the state government was making sincere efforts to resolve all issues of PRTC employees and had even taken up some matters in court.

Issuing a strong warning to gangsters, Mann said such elements should stop their activities and would not be allowed to harm the social fabric of the state.

The CM said if any gangster harmed any resident of the state or committed any other crime, he should clearly understand that he would be taught a befitting lesson.

Responding to the Haryana Chief Minister’s allegation that his condolence visit to the home of deceased basketball player Hardik Rathi was political, the CM said he was a sports lover and went there to share the family’s grief.