Chandigarh/Shimla, Sep 7 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Punjab and Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday to take stock of the situation of monsoon fury that left a trail of widespread destruction in both northern states.
Responding to the visit, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar on Sunday said Prime Minister Modi “is deeply concerned about the flood situation in Punjab and is closely monitoring it”.
Likewise, Himachal Pradesh’s Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Jairam Thakur told the media that he would be going to Dharamsala on September 9 for the meeting of Prime Minister Modi to assess the loss in the state during the monsoon.
The death toll in the state during the monsoon exceeded 350.
He said he would apprise the Prime Minister about the loss and damage in areas wherever they have visited.
Punjab BJP chief Jakhar said: “He (Modi) is visiting Punjab on September 9 to personally assess the local conditions and understand the ground realities to provide maximum assistance to the people of Punjab.”
Earlier, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sent to evaluate the situation.
“Two Central government teams, which visited to assess the damage caused by the floods in Punjab, are set to submit their reports to the central government after their tour. The Government of India stands firmly with the people of Punjab,” Jakhar wrote on X.
It has been learnt that the Prime Minister, after casting his vote in the September 9 vice-presidential election in Delhi, is likely to land at Amritsar on Tuesday afternoon, and there he will hold a review meeting with state ministers and officials.
Later, he will visit the nearby hill state of Himachal Pradesh.
The Punjab government has estimated a loss of Rs 13,289 crore due to the floods. The figure was presented by the government to members of two Central inter-ministerial teams that have been touring the state to assess the damage.
Punjab Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said 1,996 villages across 22 districts have been impacted, affecting a population of 387,013.
A total of 22,854 people have been rescued. The highest number of evacuations has been carried out in Gurdaspur district (5,581), followed by Fazilka (4,202), Ferozepur (3,888), Amritsar (3,260), Hoshiarpur (1,616), Pathankot (1,139), and Kapurthala (1,428).
Meanwhile, two teams of the Union Home Ministry arrived in Himachal Pradesh to study the damage in Chamba and Kullu districts that faced severe devastation caused by incessant rainfall, which has claimed lives and caused extensive damage to infrastructure and agriculture.
Both teams will be on tour till September 10, and they will assess the damage and submit a report to the Home Ministry, a senior state government functionary told IANS.
The state government has pegged a loss of Rs 3,959 crore. Till now, the spells of rain have continued during the monsoon, and the figure of damage is increasing in all 12 districts of the state.
The Indian Air Force was deployed for rescue operations of the Manimahesh Yatra to assist stranded pilgrims.
The Congress government in the state has been demanding a special relief package from the Central government.
In June, 31 people died in Seraj in Mandi district, the Assembly constituency by BJP leader Jairam Thakur, and road connectivity to all places was cut off.
After that, Kullu, Kangra, Mandi and now Chamba district were badly impacted. The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) reported that 869 roads remain blocked, while 1,572 power supply lines and 389 water supply schemes have been disrupted.
Since June 20, the state has recorded more than 330 landslides, leaving a trail of destruction. Responding to Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Himachal Pradesh, state Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh told the media in Shimla earlier that PM Modi did not visit the state during natural disasters.
“It is a good thing that now PM Modi is coming to Himachal Pradesh to visit disaster-affected areas.” He said Prime Minister Modi “considers Himachal Pradesh as his second home”.
“The state government has already received information about his possible visit,” Singh said, adding the government has demanded that the disaster in Himachal Pradesh should be declared a national disaster.
In the just concluded Monsoon Session of the Assembly, the government passed a resolution to declare the state a national disaster-hit state in view of the unprecedented situation.
–IANS
vg/pgh