Chandigarh, July 11, 2023 (Yes Punjab News)
Under the leadership of Punjab Pradesh Congress (PPC) President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Punjab Congress leadership held a massive protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office in Mansa to demand financial aid for flood victims in the state.
Lambasting the Aam Aadmi Party government for its incompetence and mismanagement that intensified the floods in the state, Warring said that during the Congress regime, the party allocated funds worth 100s of crores for the management, cleaning and repair of drainage system and canals before the monsoon season to reduce the impact of incessant downpour but now the Fokki Mashhuriyan Wali Sarkar was hell-bent on wasting the funds for self-promotion and other PR activities, alleged he.
Echoing the same lines, MLA, Kapurthala Rana Gurjit Singh, while addressing the massive gathering, said that it was a man-made disaster. The ignorant and incompetent APP leadership deliberately overlooked the catastrophe that was coming! Had they held meetings in January or February with the administration, DCs and officials concerned to access the preparedness before the monsoon, spent money on the management and repair of canals and drainage system, the impact could have been reduced and precious lives could have been saved, added he.
Expressing his disappointment with the way the AAP government ‘mishandled’ the floods that wreaked havoc in the state, Warring said, I travelled extensively in the state and interacted with the victims in the worst flood-hit areas. All the victims had one common complaint, that the government, they had voted for in the name of ‘Badlaav’, turned a blind eye towards their problems and left them on their own during the crisis, he added.
Criticising the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab, Former cabinet minister Vijay Inder Singla, said that AAP utterly failed to rescue the flood victims in the state during the natural calamity. It was shameful that while the people of the state were facing hardships due to incessant rains and floods, Bhagwant Mann and his ministers were making misleading statements that ‘Everything is Under Control’. The AAP leaders deliberately ignoring those who voted them to power in Punjab, rued Singla.
Warring also mentioned that the Congress leadership wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, submitted memorandums to the Honourable Governor Punjab, Urged the Punjab CM to announce financial aid to flood victims at the earliest but all that the state received was a petty compensation of Rs 218 crore from the Centre which is nothing as compared to the loss!
We had repeatedly requested the administration and the ruling governments at various levels to allocate financial assistance to the victims, but all our efforts went in vain. Now, we will stage protests to demand compensation for the victims and will intensify it further our demands are not met, warned the Congress chief.
Expressing his shock over Bhagwant Mann’s insensitivity, the PPCC chief said that Mann who was once vocal about disbursement of compensation first and used to appeal to the government that girdawari could be done later is now following the same path! He advised the CM to practice what he preaches! He said that the CM claims to be a common man so he must think like one.
He must take into account the unprecedented loss caused to the farmers and agriculture due to waterlogging in their fields following heavy rains. He must not delay the compensation to the farmers affected by floods. If their condition continued to be precarious, they would not be able to survive, added he.
Saying that the Congress party has always been there with the people of the state and will always stand by them in the crisis situation, Leader of Opposition S. Partap Singh Bajwa, said that the senior leadership had demanded minimum of Rs 50000 thousand per acre compensation for the farmers, financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for those whose houses have got damaged, ex gratia of 5 lakhs for the injured and 10 lakhs to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones.
We have also demanded financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the shopkeepers who have suffered colossal losses, Rs 50,000 for the owners, whose milch cattle have died in the natural calamity. We will keep raising our voice for our people and their rights and we will keep pressing the government to announce the compensation, declared Bajwa.
Apart from Punjab Congress chief Raja Warring, Leader of Opposition S. Partap Singh Bajwa, MLA Kapurthala Rana Gurjit Singh, Former cabinet minister Vijay Inder Singla, MLA, Chairman All India Kissan Congress Sukhpal Singh Khaira, President Mahila Congress, Punjab, Gursharan Kaur Randhawa, General Secretary Incharge PPC Capt. Sandeep Singh Sandhu, MLA Hardev Singh Ladi Shahkot, Maichal Gagowal, Distt President Bathinda (Rural) Khushbaz Singh Jatana, Distt President Bathinda (Urban) Rajan Garg, Distt President Muktsar Sahib Shubhdeep Singh Bittu, Distt President Barnala Kuldeep Singh Kala Dhillon, Zila Parishad Chairman, Mansa Bikram Singh Mofar, Ex-MLA Sardulgarh Ajitender Singh Mofar, Satpal Singh Mullewal Budhlada office bearers, party workers and supporters also attended the massive protest.
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