Punjab Assembly passes resolution against Centre's 'lack of response' on flood relief

The Punjab Assembly on Monday unanimously passed a resolution seeking a comprehensive special package of Rs 20,000 crore from the Centre for compensation to farmers, rebuilding infrastructure, and restoring livelihoods in flood-affected areas.

It condemned the “lack of response and the failure” of the BJP-led Centre to sanction a special financial package for Punjab.

Additionally, it demanded the immediate transfer of Rs 1,600 crore relief announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Punjab.

The resolution also condemned the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for “not responding” to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's repeated request for a meeting, thereby “insulting” the people of the state, and preventing the state from making a proper and comprehensive representation of the full scale of the disaster.

The two BJP members were not present in the House when the resolution was passed on Monday.

The resolution, which was moved on Friday, was passed after the completion of the discussion on 'rehabilitation of Punjab'.

The two-day special session of the Punjab Assembly to discuss the recent devastating floods began on Friday.

Winding up the discussion in the House on the concluding day of the session, CM Mann announced that the state government will start distributing flood relief compensation to farmers and the public from October 15 onwards. He said that teams of ministers will carry out the compensation exercise across the state.

He said a compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre for 75 to 100 per cent damage of crops due to the recent floods will be given.

The CM said Rs 10,000 per acre will be given for 33 to 75 and 26 to 33 per cent of crop damage. He also said that a compensation of Rs 1.20 lakh will be given for complete damage of houses.

Mann said special a 'girdawari' for assessment of losses is underway and added that flood-hit families will start getting compensation before the Diwali festival.

Farmers will be given Rs 7,200 per acre for extracting sand, which has accumulated following the floods, from their fields. A sum of Rs 47,500 per hectare will be given to farmers whose farm land was washed away by rivers.

As per the resolution, Punjab has been ravaged by catastrophic floods, widely regarded as the worst and most destructive deluge since the 1988 floods which historically impacted more than than 34 lakh people.

The Chief Minister of Punjab, after a comprehensive assessment, formally demanded a special and substantial financial relief package of at least Rs 20,000 crore from the Union Government, led by the BJP, to meet this unprecedented crisis, it stated.

“This House categorically condemns the lack of response and the failure of the BJP-led union government to sanction a special financial package commensurate with the scale of the worst floods faced by Punjab in decades,” the resolution said.

“...records its strong protest against the BJP led Union government's apathy that has resulted in the non-disbursement of the announced token funds, thereby critically crippling the speed of the state government's ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations,” it said.

Earlier in the day, the House was adjourned following a heated exchange between Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and Finance Minister Harpal Cheema.

Cheema alleged that while Bajwa blamed the government for failing to provide relief, he himself was promoting self-interest through land deals at the expense of others. — with PTI