Badal seeks PM’s intervention for special package

By Punjabnewswire4u

CHANDIGARH, AUG 26

          The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr. Parkash Singh Badal, today urged the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh seeking his personal intervention to have the prevalent norms of relief for damaged crops reviewed in wake of recent floods across the state, to provide atleast Rs. 20,000 per acre in case of complete loss. Besides, Mr. Badal also demanded to immediately depute a high powered Central team to access the damage and release special package for its rehabilitation, reconstruction and up gradation on a war footing.

          In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Badal impressed on Dr. Singh to send a Central team from the Ministry of Agriculture and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) instantly to assess the damage caused as well as the inadequacies of existing surface drainage infrastructure in the State.

The Chief Minister also wrote separate DO letters to Union Agriculture Minister Mr. Sharad Pawar and Union Home Minister Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde for similar request.

          Mr. Badal apprised the Prime Minister that that huge devastation was caused mainly by incessant rains in the region, for 3-4 days after 15^th August. These not only necessitated releases from the Bhakra, Ranjit Sagar and Pong reservoirs, but also caused many drains to overflow, since their water could not flow into the rivers that were already in spate. The Chief Minister pointed out he had toured the worst-affected parts of the State during past few days and have closely seen the plight of people whose houses, crops and livestock have been damaged. Apart from human life, there had been substantial loss to government and community-owned infrastructure also.

          The Chief Minister informed Dr. Singh that the State Government had been working hard to alleviate the sufferings of the people and relief works have been taken up in real earnest. However, the scale of relief allowed under the guidelines for utilization of the State Disaster Response Fund was totally inadequate, and did not provide any meaningful help. He made special mention for the relief provided in the case of 100% loss to crops in irrigated areas, which had been capped at Rs. 9,000/- per hectare. By the time the floods occurred, the Kharif crop had fully matured and farmers had already incurred the bulk of the expense on items such as seed, fertilizer, insecticide, diesel etc. By any estimate, this expenditure would be in the region of Rs. 25-30 thousand per acre. To provide as relief of only Rs. 3600/- per acre in these circumstances seems like a cruel joke on the distressed farmers.

Likewise, the Chief Minister also brought into the notice of Prime Minister that many parts of the State have been the worst sufferer of these floods as recent spell of rains in the State has brought unprecedented misery to the farmers and farm laborers. As you were also aware, surface drains were lifelines of farmers in historically waterlogged and others districts of Punjab. The traditional drainage system had worn out over the time and requires a major re-designing and upgradation. Their cotton, paddy and fodder crops have been completely destroyed. Many village habitations were flooded, leading to shifting of people and cattle to relief camps, distribution of food, drinking water, medicines, fodder etc. Therefore, the Chief Minister requested Dr. Singh to immediately direct the Ministry of Agriculture and NDMA to dispatch a high powered Central team to take stock of the situation so that special package could be released forth with to bail out the flood victims in the state.

It may be recalled that a study team under Dr. Mihir Shah, Member, Planning Commission of India, had earlier studied the water logging and drainage problem in the state for paving the way for central infrastructural funding, but we are still awaiting its outcome.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister also requested the Chairman 14^th Finance Commission Dr. YV Reddy to personally visit the flood affected areas along with his other members of the team at the earliest to gather first hand impression of the misery of farmers and to take stock of the damage caused as well as the inadequacies of existing surface drainage infrastructure so that ground realities could be brought to their notice for release of special package to execute reconstruction and upgradation of damaged infrastructure on war footing.

Mr. Badal also offered to provide helicopter and arrange all logistics from Delhi to facilitate their visit in the flood affected areas. In case it was not possible immediately, the Chief Minister requested them to plan this visit as part of their interaction with the state government on 6^th or 7^th September, 2013.