Floods caused losses in Punjab of around Rs 1,000 crore, says Bhagawant Mann

According to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the recent floods caused the state to sustain losses of close to Rs 1,000 crore. The Union government will receive a thorough report on the losses, and a relief package would be requested, he said.

People will receive compensation after a loss assessment is completed on the ground, he said.

This month, torrential rains pounded several districts in Punjab and Haryana, paralysing daily life and flooding wide swaths of residential and agricultural territory.

Mann stated that the state administration was keeping a strict eye on the situation and that the water level at the Bhakra dam was below the danger mark.

According to a press release, the chief minister spoke with members of the Bhakra Beas Management Board and other officials while he was in the area to examine the situation following the nonstop rain.

Mann expressed his relief that there was no immediate need to release any water from the Bhakra dam because the water level was remained below the danger mark.

According to him, the Bhakra Dam’s danger mark is 1,680 feet while the water level there on July 23 was 1,653 feet.

There is no need to panic because the water level is well below the danger mark, Mann said, adding that he requested the officers to regularly tell the public about the water level to prevent any confusion.

The fact that the meteorological agency had not anticipated any rainfall in the ensuing few days, which would have caused the water level to further decline, is also a source of great relief, he added.

He said that unless they are confirmed by the government, people shouldn’t be influenced by speculations of floods or the opening of floodgates by dams.

On July 9, 10, and 11, there was significant rainfall in the area—far more than there had been in the previous month, according to Mann.

The chief minister attacked his opponents for engaging in politics despite the seriousness of the situation and said that his administration had made outstanding progress in every area, including that of canal cleaning.

He claimed that the irrigation and drainage department had, in the past, continued to serve as a ‘cash cow’ for the dishonest officials and their goons.

Mann claimed that these officials had diverted funds intended for the drainage and irrigation department to benefit their own interests, and he added that the state vigilance team was already looking into a major fraud in this division.