‘Water calamity’: Chouhan tours Punjab’s ravaged fields, vows Centre’s help

Even as the flood situation in Punjab remained grim with increased inflows into the Bhakra, Pong, Ranjit Sagar and Shahpur Kandi dams necessitating additional releases, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday visited affected areas to assess the extensive crop damage. He described the devastation as a “jal pralay” (water calamity).

Chouhan toured Ajnala, Dera Baba Nanak, the Kartarpur Sahib corridor, Dinanagar, Behrampur and Sultanpur Lodhi, interacting with residents hit by the floods. He was accompanied by Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar and BJP general secretary Tarun Chugh. Chouhan is the first Union Minister to visit Punjab since the floods began.

To reach submerged areas, Chouhan rode a tractor into Dharamkot Randhawa village in Gurdaspur and waded through waterlogged paddy fields. “The loss is visible. The crop is completely damaged. Fields are inundated… It is ‘jal pralay’,” he said, assuring farmers that “in this hour of crisis, we are with you and will make every effort to bail you out.”

“I have been sent by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assess the situation. Punjab has always risen to the challenge when the country needed it. I am here to assure you that the government stands with everyone, be it farmers or the poor,” he added.

In Amritsar, Chouhan also met Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, who briefed him on the situation after visiting Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Pathankot in recent days.

Later, Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal met Chouhan and submitted a memorandum seeking Rs 2,000 crore in immediate financial aid for flood losses in Ajnala constituency, besides release of “pending” Rs 60,000 crore for Punjab.

Meanwhile, outflows from the Bhakra and Pong dams rose by nearly 10,000 cusecs each, with smaller increases from other dams, triggering further displacement in Ropar, Anandpur Sahib, Patiala and Sangrur. So far, 20,972 people have been evacuated from 1,902 villages across all 23 districts.

A six-member central team, led by Home Affairs Joint Secretary Rajesh Gupta, surveyed flood-hit areas in Amritsar and Gurdaspur, while a four-member team headed by Santosh Kumar Tiwari inspected inundated zones along the Sutlej in Fazilka. Both teams will remain in Punjab till Saturday to evaluate the damage. “Officials from various departments accompanied the teams to assess both individual and public infrastructure losses,” said Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakhshi Sawhney.

At least 43 people have died in flood-related incidents so far, including four in the past 24 hours, while over 4.30 lakh acres of standing crops lie submerged.

According to the Irrigation Department, water levels in the Sutlej and Ghaggar remained elevated on Thursday morning but began receding by evening. At Harike, where the Sutlej and Beas converge, the flow dropped from 3.30 lakh cusecs to 2.99 lakh cusecs. The Ghaggar, however, continued to flow above danger mark at Sarala (Patiala), Khanauri (Sangrur) and Sardulgarh (Mansa). The Ravi, which devastated Gurdaspur, Pathankot and Amritsar last week, maintained a high flow of over 4.63 lakh cusecs at Dharamkot in Gurdaspur, while the Beas also remained swollen near Passi in Tanda, Hoshiarpur district.