Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday visited the flood-affected areas in Amritsar district of Punjab. He also met with the local residents and listened to their grievances while inspecting the region.
He further took stock of the crops damaged by waterlogging due to persistent heavy rains and talked to farmers.
After visiting the flood-affected areas of Amritsar, Kapurthala, and Gurdaspur districts, the Union Minister will hold a meeting with officials in Amritsar late in the evening.
Speaking to the reporters on Wednesday, Minister Chouhan said, “I will be visiting the flood-affected areas of Punjab tomorrow (September 4). I want to inform my farmer brothers and sisters, and other people affected due to floods, that the central government is keeping an eye on the situation. Along with the state government, it will take every possible measure for the people.”
The Union Minister further highlighted the extent of damage due to the floods, and said, “There is a flood situation in the border districts. Life is disrupted. The public is in trouble. The farmers are in distress. As per the information received so far, crops are submerged in more than 1.5 lakh hectares of area. In this hour of crisis, the central government, our Prime Minister, is standing with the people.”
Several parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh witnessed heavy rainfall on Wednesday, with the Meteorological Department issuing fresh warnings for thunderstorms and lightning across multiple districts.
While Punjab is expected to witness a slight weakening of monsoon activity in the coming days, a red alert has been issued for both North and South Haryana and Chandigarh as well.
According to the Chandigarh Meteorological Centre, heavy rain is very likely to lash parts of Rajpura, Dera Bassi, Mohali, Chandigarh, and Kharar in Punjab.
Amidst Punjab witnessing heavy rainfall, the state government on Thursday announced that around 37 lives have been lost due to severe flooding in the state.
According to the government of Punjab, around 1,75,216 hectares of total land have been affected, with Gurdaspur being the most impacted, as 40,169 hectares of land have been lost in the area.
The government further stated that around 1,655 villages have been affected, out of which 324 villages are in Gurdaspur.
(With agency inputs)