Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday flagged-off 25 trucks carrying relief material for flood-affected Punjab and Himachal Pradesh from the BJP’s state office (Panchkamal) in Panchkula.
Carrying essential daily-use items to the flood-affected people of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, at least 15 trucks were Punjab bound. Saini said that Himachal Pradesh has also suffered extensive damage due to the natural calamity, where many villages have been affected and both people and livestock are facing hardships.
Saini said that apart from the Haryana government, the BJP is also continuously sending relief material to the affected areas. Every day, trucks carrying relief supplies are being dispatched from Haryana to Punjab, he said.
Meanwhile, Himachal BJP president Rajiv Bindal expressed gratitude to chief minister Saini for sending relief material to disaster-affected Himachal. He said that the relief material, carried in 10 trucks, will be distributed to every affected family in Chamba district. The consignment includes essential food items such as rice, flour, sugar, and pulses, along with tarpaulins, blankets, bedding, and other necessary supplies, according to a statement.
Saini assures full govt support to rain affected residents of Haryana
Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday assured full government support to those hit by the incessant rains, announcing that compensation will be provided for crop and property losses wherever damage has occurred.
Saini, who visited different waterlogged areas from Ambala to Fatehabad districts, said that in this hour of natural disaster, the state government stands firmly with the people of the state. He said that the interests of farmers, poor labourers, and affected people of the state will be “fully protected”.
“I am personally monitoring the situation arising from waterlogging,” Saini said while interacting with villagers regarding the present situation caused by the heavy rains. He assured the villagers, especially the farmers, that all possible assistance would be provided.
He said that water logging has occurred in low-lying areas of the state and that relief work is being carried out continuously. To ease the difficulties of citizens, e-Kshatipurti portal has been opened, aimed at simplifying the process of submitting applications for losses and damages. So far, over 1.69 lakh farmers have registered near 10 lakh acres land on this portal.
The chief minister further said that there has been loss of life and property due to the collapse of roofs of some houses during the rains. Financial assistance of ₹4 lakh each has been provided by the state government to the affected families, in addition to financial aid extended to the injured.
The chief minister said that instructions have been issued to all Deputy Commissioners (DCs), as well as officers of the revenue and irrigation departments, to keep a close watch on water logging and take immediate steps for drainage wherever required, so that farmers and other residents do not face inconvenience.
While travelling from Chandigarh to Kaithal, Saini interacted with villagers of the waterlogged areas near Naggal village in Ambala district.
Former Haryana transport minister Aseem Goel appraised CM that 40 villages in Ambala city tehsil were waterlogged due to rise of water level flow of Tangri river and rain water into Naggal drain. The former minister suggested the chief minister construct a siphon to resolve the issue, following which Saini directed Ambala deputy commissioner to make a comprehensive plan for the same.
Later in the day, the chief minister visited Rangoli nullah at Chandpura in Fatehabad, where he held a meeting with officials.
Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda visited several flood affected villages of Meham and Kalanaur assembly segments. He himself drove a tractor to reach the affected fields. He said that the government should also compensate the people whose houses were damaged, animals died and shops were damaged.
“The central government should announce relief packages for flood affected states like Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and other affected states. When similar floods necessitated in 1995, I brought the then Union Agricultural minister Balram Jakhar to Haryana and the then Congress government had compensated people for every loss from property to animals and crop damage,” he added.
Hisar MP Jai Prakash and Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda also visited several flood affected villages in Hisar and they assured people that their voices will be raised before the government.
In Palwal, a 25-year-old Kabaddi player Yogesh of Kushak village was swept away in Yamuna river, where he along with his friends went for sweeping. In Hisar, a 17-year-old boy sustained injuries after the roof of their house collapsed. The injured was rushed to Maharaja Agrasen medical college in Agroha, where he is said to be out of danger.
Nearly 300 cars submerged at Maruti stockyard in Jhajjar’s Bahadurgarh due to excess water logging. The rescue operation was carried out in Bahadurgarh’s low lying areas by the army and state disaster response force.
Several villages in Hisar, Bhiwani, Fatehabad and Sirsa are inundated with water and people are unable to come out of residential areas. Many people have shifted to their relatives’ villages.
Haryana public health engineering and public works minister Ranbir Gangwa and his cabinet colleague Krishan Lal Panwar donated their one month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.