Ferozepur: Terming the criteria of Union government for fixing the amount of flood relief to the flood affected areas as a complete ‘Sham’, the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today said that the need of the hour was to revise these norms in the larger interest of the people especially those living in flood prone areas.
Addressing the gathering here during his whirlwind tour of the flood affected areas in Ferozepur district today, the Chief Minister said that the Union government had fixed the norms irrationally which were too inadequate to compensate anyone affected by floods or any other natural calamity. He said that on the one hand the cost of farming inputs was on all time high and on the other the centre has quantified rate of this compensation merely at Rs 5000 per acre. Mr. Badal said that in view of the substantial loss suffered by the farmers due to recent floods we were ready to help our brethren in this hour of crisis, but our hands were tied up due to stringent norms stipulated by the centre, not allowing us to do so.
The Chief Minister said that it was on record that the Union government was unaware of the ground realities and the policies framed by it, without taking stock of situation at the ground level were absolutely meaningless and out of context. Advocating the need to re-fix these norms, Mr. Badal said that the Union government must keep in mind all factors including the ever escalating cost of farm operations before fixing the amount of compensation. He blamed the Congress led UPA leadership and bureaucracy at Centre, for their blatant insensitivity towards the farming community, who were in no mood to bail out the hapless people even at the time of natural disaster.
Making a frontal attack on the Congress led UPA Government for its anti farmer’s stance, the Chief Minister said that the wrong policies and deliberate attempt to marginalize the peasantry in one way or the other has put our agrarian economy on the brink of disaster. He said that due to the sky rocketing cost of farming inputs coupled with non-remunerative MSP, agriculture was no longer a profitable venture. Mr. Badal said that the UPA government has broken the backbone of the farmers which were now reeling under a whopping debt of Rs 32000 crore.
Peeved over the extensive damage caused due to floods in 22 villages along with Dhusi bundh, the Chief Minister said that he had already ordered to immediately conduct special Girdawri for assessing the loss caused to the standing crops besides survey to ascertain the damage caused to house property in these flood ravaged areas. He said that the complete survey regarding the entire loss would be conducted by the Sub Divisional Magistrate of the concerned areas so that proper assessment of the entire damage could be done and adequate compensation to the flood affected victims be disbursed accordingly.
Earlier, the Chief Minister accompanied by the Cabinet Minister Mr. Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Lok Sabha MP Mr. Sher Singh Ghubaya, MLA Mr. Joginder Singh Jindu, state BJP President Mr. Kamal Sharma, former Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mr. Sukhpal Singh Nannu, Financial Commissioner Revenue Mr. NS Kang, his Principal Secretary Mr. SK Sandhu and Technical Advisor General BS Dhaliwal visited the flood affected village Gatti Rajuke to take stock of the entire situation.