On a two-day visit to Punjab to assess flood situation and review relief efforts by party workers
Visits flood hit areas; Says major losses could have been averted with timely action
Rues delay by centre to announce flood relief to Punjab
Punjab Newsline, Tarn Taran-
Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and the Congress general secretary in-charge of Punjab Bhupesh Bhagel today said that it was a man-made disaster that led to large scale devastation in major parts of the state saying timely action could have prevented major losses.
He said Punjab has been badly devastated by floods and reiterated his party’s demand for a comprehensive and substantial flood relief package for the state. He also regretted the delay on part of the centre government to provide interim relief for the flood hit people.
Accompanied by senior party leaders including the PCC president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, the CLP leader Partap Singh Bajwa, former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and others, Bhagel visited several areas affected by floods and interacted with people there.
He said, while this was no time to play politics on floods, at the same time the state government and the administration cannot escape the responsibility for not taking preventive and precautionary measures in advance. There has been complete negligence on part of the state government and the administration under it to visualize the situation in view of the forecast of an above normal monsoon this year.
“We were already neck deep in water and the state government was caught napping”, he remarked, while adding, it woke up to the problem quite late when everything had literally been washed away.
The senior Congress leader regretted that both the state and the central governments still seem to be indifferent towards the plight of the flood-hit people in Punjab. While the state administration is as good as collapsed, the central government has also been very insensitive and indifferent.
He questioned the unusual delay in providing an immediate relief package for the flood-hit people. He said, while the comprehensive package may take time, the central government should have provided interim relief for the flood victims. He wondered why the central government was delaying the relief when it knew it had to provide the same.
Bhagel, who is on a two-day visit to Punjab to assess the flood situation and review relief efforts by party workers, today visited Dhunda (Khadoor Sahib), Gatta Badshah (Zira), Nihal Lavera (Ferozepur), Naubram Sher Singh Jaba (Guruharsahai), Walle Shah Uttar/Noorshah (Fazilka), Rukne Wala and Dutti Wala Bandh (Zira). Tomorrow he will tour the flood-hit areas of Ghonewal (Ajnala), Dharamkot Randhawa and the Dera Baba Nanak Corridor in Gurdaspur district.
Bhagel was accompanied by Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Charanjit Singh Channi, Partap Singh Bajwa, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Rana Gurjeet Singh, Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, Sukhminder Singh Danny, Raj Kumar Verka, Ramanjit Singh Sikki, Harpartap Singh Ajnala, Navtej Cheema, Kulbir Zira, Sunil Dutti, Bhagwantpal Singh Sachar, Parminder Singh Pinky, Santokh Singh Bhalaipur and others.