As Centre says ‘illegal sand mining’ behind Punjab floods, state hits back: ‘Understand responsibility instead of blaming us’

A day later, Punjab Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal hit back on Saturday, saying the floods were a natural disaster, and this was not the right time to indulge in politics over it. “The BBMB [Bhakra Beas Management Board] itself has admitted that the water level of dams has increased due to more rain than expected in Himachal Pradesh and other areas, but the Union minister is blaming illegal mining in rivers for the floods,” Goyal said.

He added that in 1988, when Punjab witnessed severe floods, only 11.20 lakh cusecs of water were released. But this year, 14.11 lakh cusecs of water were released, which is 20 per cent more than in 1988, he said.

“It is a natural calamity. This is the main reason for the floods, but the Union minister is blaming illegal mining in Ravi, Beas, Sutlej, and Ghaggar for the floods. Let me explain his statement. Since the Ravi River is between India and Pakistan, mining is not allowed there. This area comes under the control of the BSF. The question of mining does not arise there,” Goyal countered.

“Similarly, the area of Beas has also been declared a forest reserve. Since it is a forest, leave alone mining, even permission for desilting is granted only after applying on the central government’s portal. We tried to seek permission for this, but the Centre did not give it,” he added.

“The mining sites in Sutlej have to be identified, and a report has to be prepared. The environment clearance is then given by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority. There is no mining site in Ghaggar,” Goyal further said.

Pointing out that Chouhan had said that the Punjab government had not repaired the embankments, Goyal said that none of them gave way due to the rainfall. These only gave way due to the rivers overflowing, he said, adding that the state government has been updating the Centre on this from time to time.

On the issue of releasing water from Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh, Goyal said, “We wrote a letter to the chief engineers of UT and Haryana on July 24 that the situation in Punjab is fine now; if they want to release water from Kaushalya and Sukhna, they can do so, but they did not release it then. They released water when there was a flood in Punjab. That is why today Ghaggar is flowing above the danger mark.”

Pending proposals, pending funds

Goyal said that all the proposals sent to the Centre have been pending for years. “Regarding the Border Security Force posts on the India-Pakistan border, we had written a letter on July 31, 2023, and asked for financial assistance. For two years, we have been asking for Rs 175.96 crore; the central government is not giving money even for the security of the country. Similarly, a proposal to build a barrage on the Ujj river, which meets the Ravi near Makoda Pattan, has been pending with the Central Water Commission for a year,” he said.

The minister alleged that the Centre is not considering Punjab as part of the country. “Our rural development fund of Rs 7,000 crore is pending. If it is released, it will be of great help to us. We have asked many times to change the rules of disaster management. Today, farmers’ crops worth Rs 70,000 per acre have been destroyed, but the rules have a provision to give only Rs 15,000. The central government should understand its responsibility instead of blaming us,” Goyal said.

Goyal said that they had written a letter to BBMB to release 29,000 cusecs of water in June, but only 21,607 cusecs were released. “They blame everything on us. They do not fulfil their responsibility. Today, when Punjab is facing floods, it is not right to do such politics,” he said.

Why defame Punjab, asks AAP

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Neel Garg has also taken on the Centre. He wrote on X, “Floods have devastated Punjab — lives lost, lakhs of acres of crops ruined, cattle swept away. Instead of helping, @BJP4India leaders blame “illegal mining. My question to Agri Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan @ChouhanShivraj ji Floods also hit Uttarakhand, Himachal, J&K & Haryana. Were those caused by “illegal mining? Why defame Punjab? Why block ₹60,000 Cr of our rightful funds? Why is PM silent on Punjab’s floods? If the BJP cannot help in this tragedy, at least don’t insult Punjab.”