Chandigarh, September 10, 2025 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today demanded a central probe into the misuse of Rs 12,000 crore lying with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government under the disaster management fund following claims by finance minister Harpal Cheema that there was no such money with the State.
In a release here, senior leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said “Punjabis want to know the whereabouts of the Rs 12,000 crore referred to by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to flood affected areas yesterday.
This money was to be used to provide speedy aid to the flood affected but now the State is asserting that it does not have this money. This will endanger the entire flood relief and rehabilitation exercise.
A probe is needed to ascertain if the guidelines of the disaster management act have been violated and if this money has been misused by the AAP government. If so accountability should be fixed and exemplary action should be taken in the matter”.
Mrs Harsimrat Badal also asked the finance minister to prove that the money was not lying with the State as according to norms the disaster management fund was a revolving fund which was continuously replenished to enable the States to use it as and when required.
Dr Daljit Cheema said Punjabis should not suffer due to a standoff between the centre and the State government on this issue. “The farmers and ‘khet mazdoor’ should get their due. Compensation should not be delayed.
The entire Rs 12,000 crore should be made available for use in the flood relief and rehabilitation exercise as stated by the Prime Minister. A separate probe can ascertain if the funds were misused by the State government”.
Meanwhile the SAD has demanded a separate probe into the management of the Ranjit Sagar dam whose control was with the State government. Mrs Badal said despite advance notice of heavy rainfall in the catchment areas, the water level in the dam was allowed to reach the danger line before being released leading to flooding in thousands of acres of land.
“This amounts to criminal negligence and should be probed”. She said similarly the AAP government’s failure to strengthen the gates of the Madhopur barrage had resulted in the collapse of one gate and compounding the misery of farmers.
Mrs Badal also condemned the AAP government for failing to hold flood protection review meetings for the last three years. “This was the responsibility of chief minister Bhagwant Mann but he failed in his duty”.
She said it was because of this that flood protection works including strengthening of bundhs and cleaning of ‘nalas’ did not take place which had led to breaches and inundated lakhs of acres of agricultural land.
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