Surjewala slams govt over lack of monsoon preparedness
Congress general secretary and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala today criticised the BJP government for severe waterlogging in part of the state and said the government had failed in managing the situation and providing timely relief to the affected people.
Surjewala visited Kathwa, Tangore and Gumti villages, which have been badly affected by a swollen Markanda river, in Shahabad of Kurukshetra district. Waterlogging has caused devastation in Haryana, inundating more than 3,000 villages, destroying crops on more than 15 lakh acres and claiming lives, he added.
Surjewala said the situation has become serious due to the rising levels of rivers like Yamuna, Ghaggar, Markanda, Tangri, Roon, Begna and Som-Pathrala and the breaking of embankments in entire Haryana.
In Kurukshetra, dozens of villages were inundated after embankment of the Markanda river broke, destroying crops, houses, tubewells, and cattle. In districts like Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Rohtak and Kaithal, embankments of the Ghaggar and other rivers gave way, causing heavy damage to roads, schools and industrial areas. Dadiyana and Manakpur villages in Ambala were inundated, while 17 colonies in Jagadari were flooded. Waterlogging on the Hisar-Chandigarh and Delhi-Hisar highways brought traffic to a standstill.
”Farmers’ hard work and livelihoods were washed away, cattle died and houses collapsed, but the government is busy shooting videos and making verbal promises,” he said.
Surjewala, who was accompanied by former Shahabad MLA Anil Dhantori, accused the government of not making any adequate preparations before the floods. “Neither the drains were cleaned, nor the embankments strengthened. No concrete plan was made for flood control. Even a meeting of the State Flood Control Board was not called. If this is not criminal negligence, then what is it? The government did not take any initiative to seek help from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Army or any Central agency for flood relief and rescue. The Modi government is also ignoring this tragedy of Haryana, as if nothing has happened,” he added.
He said the BJP government in Haryana and the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab have left the affected people at the mercy of God. It was the indomitable courage and spirit of the people that is giving them strength in this crisis, Surjewala said. Both governments should immediately take concrete steps to help the affected and not just pass the time by making empty promises and excuses, he added.
Taking a dig at the BJP, the Congress leader said the party should deploy its Panna Pramukhs and booth agents to provide relief to the affected families. Surjewala said the farmers, labourers and common citizens of Haryana cannot be left alone in this hour of crisis. Instead of waiting for the data from the portal (e-Kshatipurti portal), a survey of all the affected districts should be completed in a week by deploying the officers concerned and a compensation of Rs 50,000 per acre should be released, he demanded.
In the affected areas, where even the next crop can’t be cultivated, the compensation should be at least Rs 1 lakh per acre. A compensation of Rs 50 lakh should be given to the kin of people who died in the disaster, he said, adding that the government should ensure that waterlogged areas in the state are be cleared in 30 days.
Haryana Tribune