CHANDIGARH: Punjab congress has raised questions over the huge difference between the figures quoted by the Punjab Government and the National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) on the flood ravaged area in Punjab, is matter of serious concern and needs to be addressed immediately by the Punjab Government.

Bir Davinder singh said After carefully perusing the figures quoted by Punjab Government and by the NRSA on the area ravaged by the fury of  floods in Punjab one finds huge unexplainable difference which could prove detrimental to the interest of affected families in terms of getting additional funds released from the centre. While the Punjab government has quoted the figure to over 1.70 lakh acres as flood ravaged area, where as National Remote Sensing Agency based on August 19 satellite imagery has quoted 30,000 acres only, which is too less as compare to the assessment pegged by the various agencies of the Punjab Government. The central government can very well draw the conclusion that the figures quoted by Punjab government are fudged, therefore Punjab Congress feels the urgency in addressing the issue on priority so that the flood relief funds are disbursed immediately to the affected people out of the Calamity Relief Fund of Rs. 1646 crore, already available with the State Government.

Figures quoted by NRSA have to be contested aggressively by the Punjab Government as the pictures taken by Radarsat-2 however have a catch. The imagery procured, analysed charted over a flood map shows much less areas inundated by floods. Huge tracts of flooded lands have been left out in the statics forwarded by NRSA. Ironically, the NRSA statistics limit the damage to only five districts-Ferozepur, Moga, Jalandher, Kapurthala and Tan Tarn whereas the Punjab Government has also included Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Mohali & Mukatsar in the area inundated by the floods. Therefore either the systems installed by NRSA for the purpose are faulty or the mechanism put in place by the Punjab Government is marred by flaws to assess the damages correctly or the figures fudged intentionally. The Punjab Government needs to clarify and explain their point of view, in the interest of the flood affected people else they should take up the matter with the NRSA Head Quarter at Hyderabad.

The Punjab Congress feels that the funds meant for the purpose are disbursed without further delay, however it also feels that the norm circulated by the Central government for the disbursement of Calamity Relief Funds (CRF) are hopelessly inadequate and needs to be revised in view of the massive devastation caused by the fury of the floods in Punjab. In view of the urgency of the matter The Acting President of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee  Sh. Mohinder Singh Kaypee and Leader of the opposition (CLP) Mrs. Rajinder Kaur Bhattal would address a separate communication to the UPA Chairperson Smt. Sonia Gandhi and the Hon'ble Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, urging both of them to address this issue on priority. The issue has also been raised by the Punjab Congress delegation in their recent meeting with the Prime Minister yesterday, in Delhi