chief
Prime VIP
Chandigarh, July 11
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today approved contingency plans for flood-hit farmers, as two more breaches in Ghaggar near Makroad and Chandu and one breach in Narwana Canal marooned 2.5 lakh-acre farmland affecting three lakh people of 763 villages of the state.
The Deputy CM accompanied by MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder visited flood-hit Sadhuwala and Phusmandi villages, besides reviewing relief operations at Sardulgarh. He promised to strengthen bandh on the Ghaggar, besides expediting relief operations.
The Deputy CM also reviewed the flood situation in Roopnagar, Patiala, Sangrur, SAS Nagar, Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. He announced that out of flood-hit 2.5 lakh acre farmland, the situation of crops was grave in 1.5 lakh acre. He said though water had started receding in certain parts of the state, but total crop loss to the farmers could touch Rs 480 crore, according to the initial estimates.
Approving the plan prepared by Director Agriculture Balwinder Singh, the Deputy CM suggested that Agriculture Department should advise the farmers to sow short-maturity paddy varieties, rather than long-maturity paddy varieties. He said RH10 Hybrid gets matured in 110 days, Sugandh 2 and 3 take 120 to 125 days for maturing, whereas PUSA 44 ordinarily sown by the farmers takes 145-150 days for maturing.
Badal said though Punjab would try to ensure that most of the land under the flood water could be retrieved and made productive for re-sowing the crops at the earliest, but sedimentation of the flood-hit land may affect one lakh acre land.
Asking the Agriculture Department to encourage the farmers to go for alternate crops such as Moongi, Maize and Toria Sukhbir Badal said the Agriculture Department should ensure that traders did not charge exorbitant rates for seeds supplied to the flood-hit farmers. He also asked the Agriculture Department to make a plan for cotton belt of Mansa and Mour as flood water has started reaching in that area too.
Expressing his solidarity with the flood-hit farmers, the Deputy CM announced that the state government would provide enhanced compensation to them. He said after assessing loss in special girdawari, the farmers, whose loss of crops was more than 70 per cent, would get Rs 5,000 per acre, whereas in case of loss between 50 to 70 per cent, the compensation would be Rs 3,000 per acre and for below 50 per cent loss compensation would be Rs 2,000 per acre.
It may be added that 234 villages of Patiala, 200 villages of Ludhiana, 190 villages of Fathegarh Sahib, 58 villages of Roopnagar, 55 vilages of SAS Nagar and 26 villages of Sangrur districts have been affected by 32 breaches in Ghaggar and Tangri. According to the latest reports, 1,966 km of roads have been damaged and washed away in the floods.
Meanwhile, 40 mm rain in Bhimpur, 27 mm in Madhopur in district Gurdaspur, 20 mm in Ropar, 28 mm in Adampur and 10 mm in Siswan was recorded during the last 24 hours.
Water level in Bhakra was recorded at 1,551.43 feet, 17.56 feet above the last year level, whereas inflow in dam was 41,175 cusecs against 37,729 cusecs of the last year. The level of Pong dam was 20 feet above last year’s level, whereas inflow was recorded at 16,936 cusecs against 6,022 cusecs of the last year.
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today approved contingency plans for flood-hit farmers, as two more breaches in Ghaggar near Makroad and Chandu and one breach in Narwana Canal marooned 2.5 lakh-acre farmland affecting three lakh people of 763 villages of the state.
The Deputy CM accompanied by MP Balwinder Singh Bhunder visited flood-hit Sadhuwala and Phusmandi villages, besides reviewing relief operations at Sardulgarh. He promised to strengthen bandh on the Ghaggar, besides expediting relief operations.
The Deputy CM also reviewed the flood situation in Roopnagar, Patiala, Sangrur, SAS Nagar, Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib districts. He announced that out of flood-hit 2.5 lakh acre farmland, the situation of crops was grave in 1.5 lakh acre. He said though water had started receding in certain parts of the state, but total crop loss to the farmers could touch Rs 480 crore, according to the initial estimates.
Approving the plan prepared by Director Agriculture Balwinder Singh, the Deputy CM suggested that Agriculture Department should advise the farmers to sow short-maturity paddy varieties, rather than long-maturity paddy varieties. He said RH10 Hybrid gets matured in 110 days, Sugandh 2 and 3 take 120 to 125 days for maturing, whereas PUSA 44 ordinarily sown by the farmers takes 145-150 days for maturing.
Badal said though Punjab would try to ensure that most of the land under the flood water could be retrieved and made productive for re-sowing the crops at the earliest, but sedimentation of the flood-hit land may affect one lakh acre land.
Asking the Agriculture Department to encourage the farmers to go for alternate crops such as Moongi, Maize and Toria Sukhbir Badal said the Agriculture Department should ensure that traders did not charge exorbitant rates for seeds supplied to the flood-hit farmers. He also asked the Agriculture Department to make a plan for cotton belt of Mansa and Mour as flood water has started reaching in that area too.
Expressing his solidarity with the flood-hit farmers, the Deputy CM announced that the state government would provide enhanced compensation to them. He said after assessing loss in special girdawari, the farmers, whose loss of crops was more than 70 per cent, would get Rs 5,000 per acre, whereas in case of loss between 50 to 70 per cent, the compensation would be Rs 3,000 per acre and for below 50 per cent loss compensation would be Rs 2,000 per acre.
It may be added that 234 villages of Patiala, 200 villages of Ludhiana, 190 villages of Fathegarh Sahib, 58 villages of Roopnagar, 55 vilages of SAS Nagar and 26 villages of Sangrur districts have been affected by 32 breaches in Ghaggar and Tangri. According to the latest reports, 1,966 km of roads have been damaged and washed away in the floods.
Meanwhile, 40 mm rain in Bhimpur, 27 mm in Madhopur in district Gurdaspur, 20 mm in Ropar, 28 mm in Adampur and 10 mm in Siswan was recorded during the last 24 hours.
Water level in Bhakra was recorded at 1,551.43 feet, 17.56 feet above the last year level, whereas inflow in dam was 41,175 cusecs against 37,729 cusecs of the last year. The level of Pong dam was 20 feet above last year’s level, whereas inflow was recorded at 16,936 cusecs against 6,022 cusecs of the last year.
