CHANDIGARH: Within 48 hours of Prime Minister P.V.Narasimha Rao praising Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh for having achieved miracles in bringing peace to the State, the latter minced no words while admitting the failure of the State administration to save people from the fury of floods and render effective relief of lakhs of its citizens.

Beant Singh sought citizens and institutions help in cash or kind for the relief work and assured that these would reach the needy.

Addressing some 100odd persons at the Hind Sam char’s court yard extent of damage in the State amounted to Rs 500 crore and attributed the failure to the State’s Drainage Department as well as the administration of Ropar district.

Beant Singh felt that the grant of Rs 22 crore was adequate for the person; He said the Prime Minister would soon send a Central team to the State and more funds could not be ruled out.

Beant Singh said Patiala and Ludhiana were worst hit districts, 75% of Patiala’s population had been hit hard on the very first day.

While the marooned people in this village of flood ravaged Jalandhar district have survived the full fury of the calamity largely because of the timely assistance of the Amy, the civil administration says it is hamstrung by lack of resources and manpower.

The flood in its aftermath has caused irreparable damages to the villagers, destroying their houses and standing crops, pinching their livestock and broaching several bunds.

The journalists themselves with nessed jawans of 20th Sikh, commandos of the Punjab Police and sturdy villagers trying to plug the breach that had developed in 2 bund at Talwandi Sahib, 12 tree trunks had already been felled in a bid to block the flow of the Sutlej into the village.

The Sub Divisional Magistrate said he could do nothing to provide relief as he had nothing to provide relief as he had not received a penny for the purpose, He admitted that the entire relief work in the camps set by the administration was being run by gurdwaras, panchayats and voluntary organizations.

He said nearly 100,000 populations had been dislocated in Nawanshahar subdivision alone but only 1,685 persons had so far taken shelter in relief camps.

Article extracted from this publication >>  July 23, 1993