It is jal pralay (in Punjab)…loss is visible: Shivraj Chouhan
The report carried flood updates from Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Ferozepur districts, officials said.
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Chouhan also visited flood-hit areas in Amritsar, where he interacted with people affected by the deluge. (Photo: X/@ChouhanShivraj)Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Thursday termed the Punjab flood situation as “jal pralay (water catastrophe)”, as he visited the state and inspected the extent of crop damage and admitted that the loss was clearly visible.
“Loss is visible. The crop is completely damaged. Fields are inundated… It is ‘jal pralay’. In this hour of crisis, we are with farmers and will make every effort to bail them out,” Chouhan said.
He was speaking to reporters while wading through an inundated field in Gurdaspur. He also visited flood-hit areas in Amritsar, where he interacted with people affected by the deluge.
The Union Minister was accompanied by several BJP leaders, including Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, party’s Punjab unit chief Sunil Jakhar, party national general secretary Tarun Chugh, and Subhash Sharma. He rode a tractor, driven by Jakhar, to the flooded areas. In another area, he took a boat.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent me to Punjab to assess the situation. Punjab has always been in the front in service to the nation. Today, when the state is facing this flood crisis, I have come to assure you that the central government stands by everyone, be it farmers or the poor,” he said, adding that two central teams were already in Punjab, working with state officials to estimate losses. “Information has come that about 1,400 villages have been affected. I will visit these villages myself and listen to people’s difficulties, and see the loss to crops and property,” he said, adding, “There is crisis and suffering, but we will overcome it together”.
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria submitted a report on the flood situation to Chouhan at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport, Amritsar, where he landed.
The report carried flood updates from Amritsar, Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Ferozepur districts, officials said.
Later in the day, in Amritsar, Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian urged Chouhan for an immediate relief package to address the devastating impact of floods in the state.
He also demanded enhanced compensation to support affected farmers after the floods submerged more than 4 lakh acres of the state’s agricultural land, threatening both state and national food security.
Khuddian accompanied Chouhan to the flood-affected areas in Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Kapurthala districts, showing him the devastating impact on the agriculture sector.
Highlighting the extensive damage, Khuddian said standing crops in over 4 lakh acres of farmland have been inundated according to preliminary assessments. With paddy fields being the worst affected just weeks before harvesting season, he said this devastation has resulted in significant losses for farmers and the state’s agricultural economy.
The impact on the rural economy is further exacerbated by substantial loss of livestock, he said.
“Punjab’s contribution to the nation’s food security cannot be overlooked,” Khuddian said, adding that as an agrarian state it plays a pivotal role in contributing to the Central food pool.
The state’s economic backbone is under immense strain, necessitating immediate support to revive the sector and mitigate the suffering of farmers, he added.
Expressing concerns over the current compensation for flood victims, he said the crop damage compensation stands at Rs 6,800 per acre, which is insufficient considering the extent of losses incurred by farmers. He urged the Central government to increase this compensation to at least Rs 50,000 per acre.
Khuddian also demanded an immediate release of Rs 8,000 crore of rural development fund and market development fund.
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