SAS Nagar, September 4 - Retired Colonel Davinder Pal Singh has demanded that the Central Government should compensate the damage caused by floods in Punjab. In a statement issued here, he said that 1655 villages have suffered heavy damage due to floods in Punjab and crops standing in about 4.37 lakh acres of land have been destroyed.
He said that this damage has been caused due to floods in Sutlej, Beas and Ravi. He said that about 71 percent of the water of Punjab has been given to Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
The rivers of Punjab neither pass through so many states nor do they cause any damage to them, but due to the discrimination of the Central Government, these states are taking advantage. He said that water is collected in Bhakra and Pong dams to provide water to these states and every year during heavy rains it is released towards Punjab, which causes heavy damage in Punjab.
He said that the control of these dams is with the central government through the BBMB board. Therefore, the central government should also compensate Punjab for the loss caused due to floods in full. He said that even if some amount is received through the central disaster relief fund, it will be very small as per the norms of this fund, due to which Punjabis will not benefit at all.
He said that the posthumous relief per person is Rs 4 lakh, for crops it is Rs 12000 per hectare (Rs 4856 per acre) and it is not applicable on land more than 2 hectares (4.94 acres). Due to joint accounts, most farmers will not be able to take advantage of it.