Order relief for Punjab farmers hit by water-logging: Pargat Singh

Congress MLA and AICC secretary Pargat Singh on Monday said the Aam Aadmi Party government had failed to manage floods as large parts of the state were reeling under flood-like conditions and crops on thousands of acres had been destroyed. He demanded that a special session of the Assembly be convened to pass a comprehensive Punjab Flood Management Act.

He urged CM Bhagwant Mann and his government to order girdawari (damage assessment) and announce compensation for the farmers who lost their crops. He warned the government to focus on long-term structural improvements rather than photo-op inaugurations, noting that Punjab cannot afford a repeat of the devastating floods of 1988 and 1992.

“From Kapurthala and Mukerian to Sultanpur Lodhi, Tarn Taran, Pathankot, Fazilka and beyond, the situation is out of control. This is not just a natural calamity, it is the result of severe administrative negligence,” he added.

He pointed out that heavy rainfall in hilly areas and the routine annual release of excess water from dams was a known phenomenon, yet the government failed to repair embankments along the Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, did not clear drainage channels and failed to monitor vulnerable points. “This is not an unforeseen disaster. It is a man-made calamity caused by neglect,” he asserted.

“Water has inundated fields and entered houses in villages such as Gandhuwal in Tanda, Bhaini Bahadur in Kartarpur and Talwandi Kuka. In Fazilka subdivision alone, cotton crop on 14,000 acres has been destroyed. Farmers are struggling to feed their families, while livestock are at risk due to fodder shortage,” he said.