Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Punjab floods demanding quick assessment of the damage and a comprehensive relief package for those affected.
The Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said the Rs 1,600-crore initial relief announced by the Central government is "grave injustice" to the people of Punjab and asserted that the crisis demands a bolder response.
"The Rs 1,600 crore initial relief announced by the Union government does grave injustice to the people of Punjab. Estimates suggest that the state has suffered a loss of at least 20,000 crore.
"This crisis demands a bolder response. I request the government to facilitate a quick assessment of the damage and deliver a comprehensive relief package," Gandhi said in his letter to PM Modi.
The Congress leader said the catastrophic floods have ravaged Punjab as he himself witnessed the shocking devastation.
Gandhi had visited the flood-hit areas in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts of Punjab on Monday and interacted with those affected by nature's fury. He also visited the houses which were damaged by the recent floods and sat among some flood-affected people. He was accompanied by Punjab Congress leaders.
The former Congress chief claimed that over 4 lakh acres of paddy crop have destroyed, and over 10 lakh animals have perished. Lakhs of people, mostly from marginalised communities, have lost their homes, he said.
"The flood has also rendered vast tracts of land uncultivable in the near future. Even today, thousands of acres are submerged and villages remain cut off," he said.
"Despite the gravity of this crisis, I witnessed the very best of humanity. Communities rallied behind those who lost everything," he noted.
Gandhi said people opened their homes to strangers and shared whatever little they had. Their generosity, and commitment to help, often at great personal risk was admirable, he said.
"Punjab will rise again. In their hour of need, we must reassure every farmer, every soldier, and every family in Punjab that India stands with them. We must come together and extend all possible support to help rebuild their future," he said in the letter to PM Modi.
The Punjab government has claimed that the floods resulted in damage to 3,200 schools, the loss of 56 lives, and the destruction of about 8,500 kilometres of roads and 2,500 bridges. Additionally, 1,400 clinics, government buildings, and 19 colleges were also severely damaged, it said.
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