CHANDIGARH: The people of Punjab are facing floods and huge damage to infrastructure like roads, bridges and buildings owing to gross abuse of natural resources, construction on the bed of rivulets by diverting natural course of water, illegal mining during the last about 15 years under political patronage.
There are about 12000 illegal colonies constructed during the rule of SAD-BJP and Congress during last three decades. These colonies are mainly constructed on land reclaimed by diverting natural course of water and blocking the rivulets and nullahs in the greed of making more money. Illegal mining in Punjab during the governments of Parkash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi have caused damage to the banks or rivers and rivulets.
The present Bhagwant Mann Government was not prepared to handle such a devastating floods which occur once and a while in decades. This is the result of violating nature for the last many decades. Now it shall be major responsibility of the AAP government to ractify the wrongs done by previous governments and also identify the culprits aming politicians and bureacrats who played havoc with the state.
There are hundereds of examples of land grabbing in rivulets by the realtors and where the illegal colonies are constructed. One glaring example is Kharar rivulet where a former CM grabbed the land and many illegal multi level buildings are constructed along the banks of rivulet. The bed of the river is illegally occupied by family if another former CM of Punjab. Bith these CMs are linked to Congress party.
On Kharar-Ropar state highway, there were atleast two major rivulets carrying rainy water but at present there is no trace of these rivulets. Rather a college is constructed in river bed near village Solkhian. If a survey is conducted by the revenue department, many other examples of rivulets occupied by greedy realtors and politicans will come to light.
Bhagwant Mann must restore the natural rivulets by demilishing illegal constructions and punishing the guilty politicians to save Punjab from future floods.