Chandigarh, Sep 8 (IANS) Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to flood-devastated Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) President Aman Arora on Monday sought an announcement of a Rs 20,000 crore relief package during his visit.

Arora told the media here that the state government and the people would welcome the Prime Minister with all humility and folded hands on Tuesday, but they expect him to announce immediate relief for the state.

Reiterating the state’s demand for the release of Rs 60,000 pending dues, Cabinet minister Arora said, “If you (the Prime Minister) can send relief to Taliban in Afghanistan, why not to Punjab.” He said crops across 4.3 lakh acres have been destroyed in the floods, and hundreds of homes either collapsed or were severely damaged.

A day earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal demanded a Rs 20,000-crore package for flood relief and rehabilitation, besides a complete farm loan waiver for both farmers and ‘khet mazdoor’ to enable them to stand back on their feet. Talking to the media, the SAD chief said, “The nation owes it to the brave farmers of Punjab who ushered in the green revolution and made the state the food basket of the country, to stand with them in this hour of crisis.”

“A Rs 20,000-crore package is necessary to compensate farmers for loss of crops and houses as well as relaying of roads and power infrastructure which has been destroyed by the floods,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi will be visiting Punjab and Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday to take stock of the situation of monsoon fury that left a trail of widespread destruction in both northern states. Responding to the visit, Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar said Prime Minister Modi “is deeply concerned about the flood situation in Punjab and is closely monitoring it”.

Likewise, Himachal Pradesh’s Leader of Opposition (LoP) and former chief minister Jairam Thakur told the media that he would be going to Dharamsala on September 9 for the meeting of Prime Minister Modi to assess the loss in the state during the monsoon.

The death toll in the state during the monsoon exceeded 350.

LoP Thakur said he would apprise the Prime Minister about the loss and damage in areas where they have visited.

Punjab BJP chief Jakhar said: “He (Modi) is visiting Punjab on September 9 to personally assess the local conditions and understand the ground realities to provide maximum assistance to the people of Punjab.”

Earlier, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was sent to evaluate the situation in Punjab.

“Two Central government teams, which visited to assess the damage caused by the floods in Punjab, are set to submit their reports to the central government after their tour. The Government of India stands firmly with the people of Punjab,” Jakhar wrote on X.

It has been learnt that the Prime Minister, after casting his vote in the September 9 vice-presidential election in Delhi, is likely to land at Amritsar on Tuesday afternoon, and there he will hold a review meeting with state ministers and officials.

Later, he will visit the nearby hill state of Himachal Pradesh.

The Punjab government has estimated a loss of Rs 13,289 crore due to the floods. The figure was presented by the government to members of two Central inter-ministerial teams that have been touring the state to assess the damage.

Punjab Revenue Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian said 1,996 villages across 22 districts have been impacted, affecting a population of 387,013. A total of 22,854 people have been rescued. The highest number of evacuations has been carried out in Gurdaspur district (5,581), followed by Fazilka (4,202), Ferozepur (3,888), Amritsar (3,260), Hoshiarpur (1,616), Pathankot (1,139), and Kapurthala (1,428).

–IANS

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