Chandigarh, Sept 7: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Punjab on September 9 to review the flood situation in the state, which officials have described as the worst since 1988. Sources said the Prime Minister is expected to reach Amritsar on Tuesday afternoon after casting his vote in the vice-presidential election earlier in the day.
According to officials, the visit will include an aerial survey of flood-hit regions, particularly in the border areas, where fencing has been washed away and several border posts in both Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir have sustained damage. “The floodwaters have breached sensitive stretches along the International Border, and this is a matter of concern,” a senior Punjab government officer noted.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to chair a high-level review meeting with Punjab ministers and senior bureaucrats in Amritsar. While the official itinerary has not yet been released, preparations are already underway, with security arrangements being tightened in advance of the visit.
Floods in Punjab have submerged vast stretches of farmland, leaving extensive damage in their wake. Preliminary estimates suggest that more than 400,000 acres of standing crops have been lost to the deluge. “This year’s flooding has brought devastation to agriculture on a scale not seen in decades,” an agriculture department official mentioned, adding that farmers are still grappling with the impact.
The Centre has been receiving regular reports from Punjab about the scale of destruction and relief efforts, and Modi’s visit is being seen as a move to directly assess the ground realities. Local officials noted that the Prime Minister’s presence could also pave the way for additional central assistance to farmers and residents in flood-ravaged districts.
