Amritsar/Pathankot/Gurdaspur, September 5: After surveying flood-hit areas of Punjab on Thursday, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the central government will implement short, medium, and long-term measures to help the border state recover from the deluge.
Describing the situation as “tremendous” and akin to a deluge, Chouhan said he will submit a detailed assessment of damage to farmlands, livestock, and farmers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “PM Modi is deeply concerned about the situation in Punjab. It was upon his direction that I visited the state yesterday. Crops have been damaged. In this hour of distress, the Central Government stands with the people and farmers of Punjab,” Chouhan said.
The minister stressed the need for planned redevelopment of flood-affected regions. “To lift Punjab out of the current crisis, we need a short-term, medium-term, and long-term plan,” he said, adding that the state AAP government must also act seriously on the ground. “The crisis is humongous, but we will leave no stone unturned in lifting the state out of it,” Chouhan said.
He warned that once floodwaters recede, the state will face additional challenges. “Dead animals will need to be disposed of properly to prevent epidemics. Silt has deposited across farms. We will need a desilting plan to save the next crop,” the minister noted.
Highlighting the role of weakened embankments in exacerbating the floods, Chouhan recalled efforts during the tenure of late Prime Minister AB Vajpayee and late Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. “The Centre had erected embankments along major rivers—Sutlej, Beas, Ravi, and Ghaggar—to protect farmlands and crops. But due to illegal mining, these embankments have been weakened, and water has entered villages. We need to restore these embankments to prevent future crises,” he said following his on-ground assessment of Amritsar, Pathankot, and Gurdaspur belts.
Chouhan also praised the resilience and humanitarian spirit of Punjab’s citizens. “I witnessed Punjab’s spirit of sewa, with social activists going village to village to distribute relief, food, clothes, and medicines. I salute Punjab’s spirit of service. The service of a distressed individual is equivalent to the worship of God. Neighbouring states have also come forward to help. This sense of unity in crisis gives us the strength to overcome all difficulties,” he said.
