Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal has said the party is committed to laying concrete in all bandhs on the Sutlej and Beas rivers from Himachal Pradesh to the Pakistan border to make the entire area adjoining them flood proof.
The SAD president was touring villages of Khadoor Sahib constituency which are situated on the edge of the Sutlej and Beas Rivers and are prone to flooding yesterday evening. He was accompanied by the party’s constituency incharge Ramandeep Kaur and senior leader Avtar Singh Billa.
Earlier this week, the SAD president toured several flood prone villages of Ajnala, Dera Baba Nanak, Shahkot and Sultanpur Lodhi constituencies.Interacting with farmers during his visit, Mr Sukhbir Badal said “it is shocking that the AAP government has not undertaken any flood protection works despite widespread damage to paddy crop across lakhs of acres of land last year.
Farmers told me that they are fearful whether the bandh here will hold in case of excess rain”. While assuring the farmers that the SAD would promptly help them to strengthen the bandh, he also volunteered to provide diesel fuel and gabions for this purpose.
Asserting that the next SAD government would not only ensure bandhs were strengthened with concrete, Mr Badal said “we will also create roads alongside the bandhs to strengthen them as well as ease movement of travel for people living along the rivers”.
Mr Badal also urged the people to beware of agencies who were trying to weaken the SAD as well as Sikh institutions. “He said there was every likelihood that a new Akali faction would come to you to seek your votes claiming they were the real party.
You should remember that we are the real heirs to the panthic legacy which we have safeguarded for more than 100 years now”. He said all development which had occurred in Tarn Taran as well as the other border areas of the State occurred during SAD tenure.
The border areas are crying for development with both the Congress and the AAP abandoning its people. The SAD promises to go in for holistic development of the border areas and bring in a special package to attract industry into the area to create jobs and prosperity”, he added.