Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh on Monday chaired a high-level meeting of Group of Secretaries on Disaster Management to review flood relief operations in the State and directed to immediately release the funds to meet urgent financial requirements in affected areas. Asking officials to further speed up the relief operations, the Chief Secretary directed Health department officials to ensure adequate supply of medicines for control of water related diseases in the all affected districts, and the Food department officials ensure adequate supply of food materials to affected areas.Deputy Commissioners of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Moga, Ludhiana, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Ropar joined the meeting via video conferencing and explained the relief operations carried out in their districts. The Deputy Commissioners gave a brief account of damage caused in their districts due to floods and added that actual loss would be assessed once the water receded. They also shared the problems being faced during flood relief operations and sought immediate release of the funds required to tackle the situation. They further assured the Chief Secretary that the situation was under control in their respective districts.
Assuring every possible help by the Government, the Chief Secretary asked the Group of Secretaries on Disaster Management, and the Deputy Commissioners to further step up the relief operations besides adopting all preventive measures to keep a check on outbreak of any disease in the flood-hit areas.Special Chief Secretary Revenue Mr. K.B.S. Sidhu, Additional Chief Secretary Home Mr. Satish Chandra, Additional Chief Secretary Development Mr. Viswajeet Khanna, Additional Chief Secretary Cooperation Ms. Kalpna Mittal Baruah, Additional Chief Secretary Local Government Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Financial Commissioner Rural Development and Panchayats Ms. Seema Jain, Principal Secretary Finance Mr. Anirudh Tiwari, Principal Secretary Water Resources Mr. Saravjit Singh, Principal Secretary Health and Family Welfare Mr. Anurag Aggarwal, Principal Secretary Medical Education & Research Mr. D.K. Tiwari, Secretary PWD Mr. Hussan Lal, Secretary Animal Husbandry Mr. Raj Kamal Chaudhary, Special Secretary Revenue Mr. Rajiv Prashar, Chairman-cum-Director PSPCL Mr. Baldev Singh Sran and ADGP (Law) Mr. Ishwar Singh were presented in the meeting.