Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal Sunday offered help to villagers to plug the breach in an embankment near the Chandpura dam in Budhlada constituency here. He also urged Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to direct the civil administration to work in tandem with farmers instead of leaving them to their fate.
Badal was interacting with residents of Kulrian village near the breach site, said a party statement. The SAD president said “farmers also told me the civil administration has neither provided them any JCB machine nor diesel for more than 100 tractors" which are engaged in the flood prevention work.
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"Farmers from neighbouring villages of Haryana also met me and disclosed how the Haryana government had deputed five JCB machines as well as other equipment and manpower to strengthen the embankments of the Ghaggar river in their area but the Punjab government has done nothing,” he said.
Badal assured the farmers to send two JCB (excavator) machines to the spot. He also offered to send diesel drums which were delivered immediately, besides sand bags so that the "bundh" (dam) strengthening work can continue unabated, the party said.
He also talked to the Mansa deputy commissioner and requested him to visit the spot as well as depute equipment and government personnel to help plug the breach. “This could have been done earlier also when Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal visited the area on July 13 and brought this issue to the notice of the deputy commissioner but nothing was done,” he alleged.
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Asserting that he did not want to do any politics when the state was in the grip of a flood crisis, Badal said “it is our responsibility to contribute to relief measures in whatever way possible”. He said SAD and Youth Akali Dal volunteers were assisting in relief work across the state even as the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) was providing 'langar' and medical aid to affected people.
“We expect the government to provide concrete help by way of compensation for those whose houses have been destroyed as well as interim relief at the rate of Rs 25,000 per acre to farmers whose crops have been destroyed. "It is unfortunate that this relief work has not been started till now even though the government has received Rs 218 crore from the Centre more than one week ago,” he said.
Badal also called upon the Centre to provide adequate relief to the state. He said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government should also not hesitate from asking for relief from the Centre and that the chief minister should put up the state's case vigorously before the Union government.
Badal also visited Rorki village in Sardulgarh which has been affected by floods, besides villages in Moonak and provided immediate help to farmers. In Sangrur district, Badal inspected the flood-affected sites where Akali workers along with villagers were erecting temporary bundhs to save their inhabitants from gushing waters.
