SHUTRANA: Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today said channelization of the Ghaggar river by building concrete embankments was to the only way forward to save hundreds of villages in Patiala and Sangrur from the fury of floods and assured that the next SAD government would take this up as a priority project.
The SAD president was visiting villages along the Ghaggar in Shutrana, Lehra and Moonak constituencies. He visited the Teipur, Arnetu, Shutrana, Badshahpur and Harchandpura bundhs in Shutrana besides Makror Sahib in Lehra and Moonak. Mr Sukhbir Badal gave Rs 3 lakh in cash besides promising to provide 9, 000 liters of diesel to the village committees of Teipur, Arnetu, Shutrana, Badshahpur and Harchandpura. He also gave Rs 1 lakh cash and 2, 000 liters of diesel to the committee at Makror Sahib and Rs two lakh cash and 2, 000 liters of diesel to the committee at Moonak.
Asserting that it was unfortunate that the second phase of the channelization of the Ghaggar from Makror Sahib to Karail was left in the limbo by both the previous Congress and the current Aam Aadmi Party government, Mr Badal said “the SAD government had earlier completed the first phase of the project by channelizing the Ghaggar over a 22.5 kilometer stretch from Khanauri to Makror Sahib”. He said “now we will not only channelize the River but also lay concrete on its embankments to end the scourge of floods in Patiala and Sangrur districts once and for all”.
Farmers while interacting with the SAD president at the bundhs in Shutrana, said the AAP government had compounded their woes by refusing to let them take out earth from the Ghaggar to strengthen their bundhs. “The government did nothing to strengthen the bundhs. When we asked for permission to strengthen them ourselves by taking out silt from the Ghaggar we were not given permission for the same”. They also asserted the government should acquire land, for which they were ready, in order to construct ‘pucca’ bundhs in the area.
Mr Badal said it was unfortunate that both the centre and the State government had failed Punjabis at a time of extreme crisis. “No financial aid has been released by either the centre or the State government to conduct relief operations leaving people to take the entire relief operations into their own hands”. He said the bravery shown by Punjabis during this tragic “man made” crisis was seen to be believed. “I have seen people who have lost their entire crop but still displaying immense grit and joining in to save the fields of their brethren from inundation. I fold my hands before you and acknowledge the huge sacrifice you have made by putting ‘sewa’ before self”, he asserted.
Urging the people to remain in ‘Chardhi Kala’ amidst slogans of “Sukhbir Singh Badal Jindabad” and “Kisana di Sarkar phir aavegi”, the SAD president said “the SAD cadre will assist you in not only strengthening your bundhs but also in clearing out sand from your fields once the water subsides”. He assured the people at all the five places that he would send tractors, trucks, JCBs and forklifts to clear sand from their fields once the floods subsided.
Senior leaders who accompanied the SAD president included N K Sharma, Baldev Singh Mann, Jagmeet Singh Haryau, Gulzari Moonak, Winnerjit Singh Goldy, Gurpreet Singh Rajukhanna, Bittu Chatha, Swaran Singh Chanarthal, Makhan Singh Lalka, Gagandeep Singh Khandebad, Mahinder Singh Lalba and Amarjit Singh Panjrath.