Punjab CM visits flood affected areas

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today visited the flood affected areas of Ajnala sector in the district and took stock of ongoing restoration work along the banks of Ravi river.
The Chief Minister said a major tragedy had been averted due to timely action by the district administration coupled with inputs from locals and BSF, and stressed that throughout the restoration work, he was keeping a constant tab on the situation.
With the construction of Ranjit Sagar Dam, possibility of floods in Ajnala sector has reduced substantially, Badal said.
"It is one of the rare occasions when the water flow touched 5 lakh cusecs against 24,000 cusecs of routine flow just in a short span of time," he said.

However, the district administration "successfully evacuated low-lying areas and plugged the breach in Dhussi Bandh, saving precious lives," he said, adding that the government would issue appreciation letters to all concerned.
On future flood control measures, the Chief Minister said a Rs 161 crore proposal for strengthening embankments and other measures in the region had been forwarded by the drainage department and it would be implemented after review.

Badal, who is on a three-day visit to flood affected areas of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Fazilka and Muktsar, said, after assessing ground realities, a comprehensive strategy for flood protection would be evolved.

Conceding to residents' demand, Badal gave an immediate consent to construction of a Pontoon bridge over Ravi river in Ajnala sector.
Reacting to state Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa's demand for compensation of Rs 30,000 per acre to farmers of flood affected areas, the Chief Minister said, instead of indulging in politics over flood, Bajwa should take up the cause of farmers with the Centre.
Alleging that repeated requests to Centre for compensation to farmers having land across the borders have fallen on deaf ears, Badal said his government had provided compensation of Rs 3,000 per acre to such farmers.