Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], September 6 : Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Saturday termed the ongoing floods in the state as being the worst in five decades, saying that while the state has responded with urgency and compassion while the Centre has failed to extend the needed support.
Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan, he said that incessant rains in Punjab and neighbouring hill states have triggered large-scale devastation, affecting nearly 2,000 villages and over four lakh citizens, while 46 lives have been lost across the state.
Agriculture, the backbone of the state's economy, has suffered extensive damage with 1.72 lakh hectares of farmland impacted across 18 districts. Homes, livestock and public infrastructure have also borne the brunt of the disaster, while the Ghaggar river has crossed the danger mark of 750 feet. The Finance Minister said that despite the unprecedented scale of the disaster, the Punjab Government moved swiftly to launch coordinated rescue and relief operations. More than 22,000 people have been evacuated to safety, and around 200 relief camps have been set up across the state, currently sheltering over 7,000 affected people.
He informed that 24 teams of the National Disaster Response Force and two teams of the State Disaster Response Force are on the ground, supported by 144 boats and a state government helicopter. Cheema stressed that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, senior party leaders, cabinet ministers, MPs, MLAs and volunteers of the Aam Aadmi Party are working shoulder-to-shoulder with citizens at the grassroots. Panchayats, NGOs and the entire government machinery are actively engaged in ensuring relief, safety and welfare of the affected.
He further informed that the Revenue Department has already released Rs 71 crore for relief efforts. In addition, showing solidarity, the entire Punjab Cabinet and all legislators have contributed one month's salary to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. AAP MPs from both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are also utilising their MP funds to support flood victims, while the state's Excise and Taxation Department has contributed Rs 50 lakh for relief measures.
Cheema recalled that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 31, demanding immediate release of over Rs 60,000 crore owed to Punjab. These include GST compensation, RDF and MDF dues, and funds under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
Expressing deep disappointment, Cheema condemned the Centre's "photo-op visits" without announcing any relief package or financial support. He rejected the Centre's claim that illegal mining was responsible for floods in Punjab, calling it politically motivated and biased. Questioning why the Centre does not give similar explanations for floods in other states, Cheema said that instead of helping Punjab, the BJP-led government is resorting to petty politics.
He expressed dismay that while humanitarian aid is being extended to earthquake-hit Afghanistan under Taliban rule, the same sensitivity is being denied to Punjab's citizens. The Minister said that although the Centre claims to be assessing the losses, no data has been sought from Punjab so far, even though the state is fully prepared to provide it.
Concluding his address, the state finance minister said that the Centre has completely failed Punjab in this hour of crisis. He appealed for immediate corrective action, demanding release of the pending Rs 60,000 crore and urgent dispatch of relief material and financial aid to strengthen flood relief operations.