Floods wreaked havoc in Punjab due to lack of proper arrangements: Punjab Congress

Saying 1,056 villages in 14 districts of Punjab were worst hit with floods, Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa on Wednesday accused the Aam Aadmi Party-led state government of adopting laxity in making the proper arrangements that could have minimised the disaster.

“It is only because of the mismanagement and lack of proper arrangements in the state, the floods wreaked havoc in almost half of the state,” he said.

“Meanwhile, due to the sheer failures of the AAP government in preparing for the floods well in advance, residents in 1,056 villages of 14 districts have been going through a nightmarish experience. As many as 11 people have died so far while five were still untraceable. Besides that, 12 people have been injured,” Bajwa told the media.

Bajwa said the India Meteorological Department in Delhi issued a warning of heavy rain alert on July 5 for Delhi and the other parts of the north, including Punjab, facing unprecedented rains forecasting even loss of lives and properties.

“While Punjabis were fighting with this natural calamity on their own, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was attempting to lure the voters of Haryana. He was addressing the election rallies in the neighbouring state and celebrating his first marriage anniversary. He didn't even bother to inquire about the well-being of the Punjabis,” he said.

Bajwa said the government has Rs 729 crore available for Disaster Management. Even Rs 488 crore has been received from the Central government. Still, the AAP government in Punjab remained unsuccessful to prepare for the calamity in advance.

“Had the government been woken up from its deep slumbers, the destruction of such a large scale could have been prevented,” added Bajwa.