In a major relief to the flood affected farmers, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today announced to defer the recovery of crop loans of the Co-operative societies thereby converting their short term crop loans into medium term crop loans in order to ease out pressure of repayment on them.Disclosing this here today a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s office said that an announcement to this regard was by Mr. Badal after undertaking a whirlwind tour to the flood affected areas in the sub pisions of Ajnala in Amritsar District and Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district besides Dhusi Bandh (Gatti Harike) over river Satluj in district Tarn Taran to take stock of the situation on the spot.
The Chief Minister visited these areas and interacted with the people to intensify the relief and rehabilitation measures. The Chief Minister ordered to immediately conduct special Girdawri for assessing the loss caused to the standing crops besides survey to ascertain the damage caused to house property in these flood ravaged areas due to heavy rains in the upper reaches of Ravi, Beas and Satluj. Mr. Badal asked the FCR to instruct all the Deputy Commissioners especially in the flood affected areas to get girdawri executed by the revenue officials under direct supervision of an officer not below the rank of PCS so that proper assessment of the entire damage could be done and adequate compensation to the flood affected victims be disbursed accordingly. Mr. Badal assured the people that the extensive damage caused to the public installations would be undertaken on the priority besides strengthening the flood protection works immediately after the water recedes by the district administration in tandem with PWD (B&R), Mandi Board, Water Supply and Sanitation and PSPCL.
At village Gati Harike on the demand of residents of the nearby villages, the Chief Minister announced that the state government would soon construct the four kilometer stretch of road on Dhussi Bundh. Later talking to the media persons the Chief Minister said he would soon take up with the Government of India to immediately revise the natural calamity norms to ensure adequate compensation to the affected people by such calamities of and on. Mr. Badal pointed out that State Government had already hike the compensation from Rs. 3000 to Rs. 5000 per acre to bail out the people afflicted with such natural calamities.
Slamming the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Mr. Partap Singh Bajwa, the Chief Minister said that he was politicking on recent floods’ situation across the state following heavy rains in the catchment areas of Ranjit Sagar, Pong, Bhakra Dams. Mr. Badal said, “Had Mr. Bajwa ever seriously concerned about the situation he would have mounted pressure on Congress led UPA Government at Center to pay Rs. 25000 per acre as compensation to the Punjabi farmers rather creating hype in the media.” The Chief Minister said that he would not be ever indebted to Mr. Bajwa, if he secures this quantum of relief for the Punjabi farmers, whose crops have been totally vanished but also thank him personally by calling on him at his residence.
The Chief Minister announced appreciation letters to Deputy Commissioner Amritsar and SDM Ajnala who did good work in preventing breach of advance bundh and inundation of 11000 acres of land displacement of many people. The Chief Minister was accompanied by Cabinet Minister Mr. Janmeja Singh Sekhon, former Minister Jathedar Ranjit Singh Brahampura, State BJP President Mr. Kamal Sharma, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prof. Virsa Singh Valtoha, Financial Commissioner Revenue Mr. N.S. Kang and Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Mr. S.K. Sandhu.