Mann said he oversees the flood situation in the state and added that his government is duty-bound to ensure relief to the affected people.
Published Jul 20, 2023 | 7:23 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 20, 2023 | 7:23 PM
Bhagawant Mann. (Twitter)
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said on Thursday, 20 July, that the state government would compensate for every single penny lost in the floods that affected the state.
He also added that he was monitoring the situation in the state’s flood-affected districts on a regular basis.
Heavy downpours recently paralysed daily life and flooded vast tracts of residential and agricultural land in Punjab and Haryana.
Mann said he oversees the flood situation in the state and added that his government is duty-bound to ensure relief to the affected people.
Ministers, officers and the state government’s administrative machinery are already on the ground to help the affected people.
Relief and rescue operations are underway in the flood-torn districts, he said in a statement here.
He also lauded the non-government and social organisations helping the victims.
Mann said the state government will compensate the people for the loss of every single penny, adding that he has already ordered a special “girdawari” (survey to assess losses) to ascertain the damage to crops and homes.
He added that deputy commissioners have issued detailed instructions to immediately carry out “girdawari” in the affected areas to ascertain the damage.
Earlier on Thursday, authorities in Punjab’s Gurdaspur stopped pilgrims from travelling to the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan through the Kartarpur corridor due to the rising water level in the Ravi.
Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal said they have recommended to the government to suspend the pilgrimage for two days.
The decision has been taken keeping the safety of the pilgrims in mind, he said.
The Kartarpur corridor links Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Pakistan, the final resting place of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak Dev, to Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district.
The water level in the Ravi river rose after 2.60 lakh cusecs of water was released in the Ujh river in Jammu on Wednesday.
However, Aggarwal said there is no threat to the Kartarpur corridor despite the rising water level in the river.
“We have recommended the suspension of pilgrimage for the next two days,” he told PTI over the phone.
On Thursday morning, the official said water from the Pakistan side also flowed in near the Kartarpur corridor and the earthen embankment.
He said they were collecting information on how the water flowed from Pakistan.
Aggarwal said the waterlogging does not pose any threat to the corridor, earthen embankment or ‘Darshan Asthal’.
He said the district administration was closely monitoring the situation.
Due to the increase in the water level in the Ravi, the ‘sangat’ (devotees) were stopped from travelling to Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara keeping their safety in mind, Aggarwal said.
He said the pilgrimage will be resumed once the water level in the river recedes.
(With PTI inputs)
