Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 9 : The flood situation in Punjab has worsened, with the death toll rising to 51, according to the Department of Information and Public Relations, Punjab. On Sunday, the death toll was at 46.
The heavy monsoon rains over the past week have caused rivers to swell and inundated several districts across the state, leaving thousands affected and prompting large-scale relief operations.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on Tuesday to review the flood-related situation. He will undertake an aerial survey of the flood and landslide-hit areas in Himachal Pradesh.
At around 1:30 PM, he will reach Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, where he will meet officials and chair a high-level review meeting on the situation. PM Modi will also meet the flood-affected persons and NDRF, SDRF and Aapda Mitra Team in Kangra. Then, the Prime Minister will conduct an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas in Punjab around 3 PM.
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state on September 9, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) president Aman Arora earlier today expressed hope that the Centre would announce a relief package for the flood-hit state.
"Punjab has been reeling under floods for the past 20-25 days. Tomorrow, PM Modi is coming to Punjab. We welcome him and are hopeful that tomorrow, he will give a relief package to Punjab. The preliminary estimation of damage due to floods amounts to Rs 20,000 crores," Arora told ANI.
Meanwhile, Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar said the Prime Minister was "deeply concerned" about the situation.
In a post on X, Jakhar said that "Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is deeply concerned about the flood situation in Punjab and is closely monitoring it. He is visiting Punjab on September 9 to personally assess the local conditions and understand the ground realities to provide maximum assistance to the people of Punjab."