Midda (Sri Muktsar Sahib), August 27
Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today asked the Planning
Commission of India (PCI) to send a team for assessing the loss caused
in the state due to the floods besides suggesting measures to avert
such natural tragedies in future.
Talking to the media persons after visiting nine flood affected
villages of Sri Muktsar Sahib district here today on the last leg of
his four days tour in flooded parts of state, the Chief Minister said
that the disaster caused by the floods was a national disaster and it
was the responsibility of entire nation to bail the people out in this
hour of crisis. He said that the Centre must dispatch a high level
team of PCI to tour the flood ravaged regions of the state and suggest
about the precautionary measures to avoid such situation in the
future. Mr. Badal said that he would soon take up this matter with the
top brass of the PCI so that a timely action could be taken on the
issue.
Likewise the Chief Minister also said that the state government would
also raise the issue of enhancing the amount of relief to the flood
victims with the Finance Commission of India, to assure adequate
compensation to the flood victims. He pointed out that the relief
given to the flood victims was too inadequate to help them in this
critical situation so the need of the hour was to revise it rationally
so that the losses of the people could be minimized. Mr. Badal said
that the state government would take every possible step to ensure
that maximum compensation was awarded to the farmers and the people so
that a helping hand could be extended to them.
The Chief Minister reiterated that on its part the state government
had already ordered to defer the recovery of crop loans of the
Co-operative societies thereby converting the short term crop loans of
farmers into medium term crop loans in order to ease out pressure of
repayment on them. Mr. Badal said that he had even asked the officers
to recover the loans in easy installments to relieve the farmers of
enormous financial burden on account of repayment.
Replying to another query, the Chief Minister categorically said that
there was no plan of the government to mortgage the property of the
state for fetching the funds to manage its day-to-day affairs.
Describing the media reports to this effect by our opponents as
absolute canards and baseless, he said that nothing in this regard has
been so far initiated. Mr. Badal categorically said that the financial
position of the state was sound enough to meet its fiscal obligations
and the malicious propaganda made by Congress regarding it was
‘farce’.
Later on the Chief Minister accompanied by Lok Sabha MP Mr. Sher Singh
Ghubaya, MLA Malout Mr. Harpreet Singh, Financial Commissioner Revenue
Mr. NS Kang, his Principal Secretary Mr. SK Sandhu and Principal
Secretary Irrigation Mr. Sarvesh Kaushal visited the flood relief camp
at Bamm village. During his interaction with the victims of the flood
affected areas, he assured that no stone would be left unturned by the
state government to help them in this peculiar situation. Mr. Badal
said that the state government was duty bound to help the victims of
this natural tragedy adding that efforts for their relief and
rehabilitation were being made on war footing.
