Punjab pegs flood losses at Rs 14,000 cr; crops on 1.75 lakh hectare damaged, toll reaches 46

Sources, who have seen the memorandum, said the water resources department has claimed damages worth Rs 1,520 crore while department of rural development and panchayats has sought Rs 5,043 crore. The floods have also cost the department of health Rs 780 crore while Punjab Mandi Board, responsible for upkeep and maintenance of mandis (grain markets), link roads and other infrastructure has pegged damages at Rs 1,022 crore. The PWD, responsible for roads and bridges, has sought Rs 1,970 crore.

The Agriculture Department has claimed Rs 317 crore, department of education Rs 542 crore, department of power and department of animal husbandry Rs 103 crore each, and department of higher education Rs 6 crore. Local government (Rs 7 crore), department of food (Rs 6 crore), department of water supply (Rs 6 crore), and department of forest and wild life (Rs 4 crore) too, among others have sought compensation. A senior official said the meeting was informed that this was just an interim assessment. “The magnitude of damage and destruction is much more. We will assess it once the water recedes. An updated memorandum of demands would be sent then,” the state government told the Central team.

State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said the Centre claims to be assessing the damage but is yet to request for flood-related data from the state, which Punjab is fully prepared to provide, whereas the final report on the damage can be accessed after the floodwaters recede.

He urged the Centre to release “pending” dues amounting to Rs 60,000 crore. “Fifteen days have passed since Punjab faced floods and the Prime Minister has not uttered a word to stand by the people of the state. Whenever the country faced any problem, Punjab was at the forefront. But the BJP is discriminating against Punjab,” he alleged.