Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said that he would apprise the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh about the plight of flood victims in the water logged areas, during his visit to Chandigarh on Saturday.Addressing the gathering during his visit in the flood affected water logged areas of Sri Muktsar Sahib here today, the Chief Minister said that he would inform Dr. Manmohan Singh about the hardships faced by the people in this region and seek his personal intervention to extend a helping hand to them in this hour of crisis. Mr. Badal said that he had already raised the issue of meager compensation being given to the victims of natural tragedy with the Union Home Minister adding that he would also raise the same matter with the Prime Minister, so that adequate and timely relief could be provided to the sufferers of flood fury. He said that it was the high time that the Union government must help the flood victims of the state as this natural tragedy has caused unprecedented devastation due to which the economy of the entire region has been ruined.
The Chief Minister said that the state government was fully sensitive towards the agonies faced by the victims of this serious tragedy and the fact that the entire government right from ‘the Chief Minister to Junior Engineer’ was involved in the relief operations was reflective of this fact. Assuring the flood victims that no stone would be left unturned to rehabilitate them, Mr. Badal said that the entire state was rallying solidly behind the sufferers of this unprecedented tragedy. “The state government was committed to bail out the people in this hour of crisis and I will do everything possible to ensure relief and rehabilitation to the victims”, he added.
Expressing concern over the persistent problem of water logging in the area, the Chief Minister said that the floods were outcome of this menace adding that efforts were being made by the state government to check it. He further said that in order to ensure better planning for the construction, strengthening, widening and upgradation of drains to combat the problem of water logging officers of the Executive Engineers (XEN) level would be deployed in every village to assess the entire situation. Mr. Badal said that the Executive Engineers have been asked to minutely examine the entire situation in the respective villages and submit a comprehensive report to compile a ‘master plan’ for eradicating the menace of water logging.The Chief Minister said that this would help in having a holistic view about the problem in the water logged areas on one hand and construct the drains in accordance to its natural flow on the other, so as to tackle this grave problem efficaciously. He categorically said that the state government was firmly committed to make the Punjab a waterlogged free state for which every effort would be made by them. Reiterating that the public support and cooperation in this herculean task was the need of the hour, Mr. Badal said that the Executive Engineers have been told to interact with the villagers so as to get detailed knowledge about this chronic problem which would further help in dealing with it.
The Chief Minister said that it was the high time that the state government and public should make concerted efforts to deal with this problem which has given a fatal blow to the economy of the entire state especially the Malwa region. “The efforts of the state government to make Punjab ‘water logged free’ would bear fruit only with the whole hearted support of the people” added Mr. Badal.Lashing out at the Congress party, the Chief Minister said that rather than helping the flood victims in this hour of disaster the entire state Congress leadership was busy in castigating the state government to get cheap publicity. He advised the Congress leaders to channelize their energy for the welfare of people rather than resorting to such political gimmicks which were vitiating the atmosphere of the state. Mr. Badal said that it was on record that the Congress leaders were not having any sympathy with the state or its people and their single point agenda was to mislead the people for their political gains.
The Chief Minister said that the silence of state Congress leaders on the miniscule compensation being given by Centre to the victims of the natural tragedy was a testimony that they were least bothered about the interests of the state. He said that not only this but the Congress leaders have not even uttered a single word against the strict conditions imposed by the Union government, which disallowed even the state government to give more compensation to the sufferers of fury of flood. “It is ironical that Congress leaders were criticizing the state government which is working for the flood victims, but are mum against their own bosses who have no sympathy with Punjab”, added Mr. Badal.During his tour the Chief Minister visited Aulakh, Jhurad, Khane Ki Dhab, Bhulerian, Lakkar Wala, Tarkhan Wala, Khunan Kalan, Tamkot, Dabra and Bhang Chari villages.The Chief Minister was accompanied by Lok Sabha MP Mr. Sher Singh Ghubaya, MLA Mr. Harpreet Singh Kotbhai, his Special Principal Secretary Mr. KJS Cheema and Deputy Commissioner Mr. Paramjeet Singh.