Sukhbir Badal Flags Off 500 Fogging Machines, Announces Wheat Distribution to 50,000 Flood-Affected Families

Chandigarh(The Uttam Hindu): Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal today flagged off 500 fogging machines which will be delivered to Youth Akali Dal (YAD) workers in worst flood affected constituencies of the State to conduct fogging against malaria and other water borne diseases.

The SAD president, while flagging off the cavalcade of fogging machines, said YAD volunteers would take these machines to each and every flood affected village in the State. Earlier, Mr Sukhbir Badal presided over a meeting with constituency incharge & district presidents of the party to chart out a comprehensive flood relief distribution plan. The meeting also took note of the damage done by the floods to bundhs, agricultural land and houses besides loss of livestock.

Asserting that the SAD flood relief operation, which was already underway with 500 trucks of maize silage being delivered to Gurdaspur, Ferozepur and Amritsar and other affected districts, would witness the start of distribution of wheat to 50,000 poor people in flood affected areas in the coming days. Mr Badal said party observers had visited flood affected areas and had categorised areas which had witnessed the most destruction. “It is our endeavour to reach these people first and provide them all assistance to stand back on their feet”. He said all affected areas would be covered in phases.

Mr Badal said as part of this exercise it was decided that besides distribution of maize silage, certified wheat seed would be distributed among flood hit farmers to cover one lakh acres of land. He said the party had also prepared a plan for despatching tractors and other heavy machinery in batches to flood hit areas to remove sand from agricultural fields. He said party volunteers would also assist the Shiromani Committee in holding medical camps even as it would hold veterinary camps for treatment of livestock.

Exhorting the party leaders to assist the flood hit, Mr Badal personally took note of requirements of diesel, poclain machines and iron meshes in worst affected villages. He said all material needed would be dispatched to affected areas immediately.

The meeting also took note of the complete failure of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in providing timely assistance when the floods struck Punjab as well as its failure to release compensation for damage to crops and houses. It also demanded that responsibility for the criminal negligence which resulted in the collapse of three gates of the Madhopur barrage should be fixed at the level of the minister and the chief minister instead of junior officials.