By chanchal Manohar Singh
Chandigarh: It is a traumatic and sad story of lakhs of people affected by floods in Punjab. I am also saddened by hundreds of deaths, caused by rains-feed-floods. The damages worth several hundred crores of rupee, occurred by these floods. Consequently, the deaths of hundreds of mulch animals, and thousands of farmers have also lost their crops. The floods have also caused damage to several thousand acres of agricultural land. However, everything becomes routine, in a due course of time, damages would be assessed and compensation, would also be announced.
Meanwhile, the Bhakara Beas Management Board, has been repeatedly crying tha mining around Satluj is a --big threat to the foundation of the Bhakara Dam--but does not carries much weight, with the Punjab Government, because those involved in mining or theft of--sand and gravels mafia-- has the capacity to create trouble for the stability of the state Government.
Although, t has also happened in Mumbai, and several other cities of India. But, agricultural, is not considered, as an industry, the Government does not care to give relief to farmers, by writing off their loans etc as it quickly does for industrial houses all over the country with one stroke of pen. The farmer unions, are so much divided, and sub-divided that those does not carry, much pressure on the Government, to extract any major relief.
Have any one ever thought, why floods of this nature during all these year in Punjab? I have been a journalist in Punjab, for about 45 years. Same routine story being repeated, years after years. Look at natural channels, meant for immediate discharge of heavy rains water! Most of these natural channels, have been covered, by raising larger housing complexes, which block the rains water flow, turning the same to flood the cities. All those desiring, to migrate from villages to urban areas, and also many from urban areas have bought houses, in these colonies.
The Government officials, associated with the urban development, made a big "buck" by approving the residential colonies, on Choes, natural rain water channels.
In Patiala city, the city of Chief Minister of Punjab, Amarinder Singh, and former union minister, Parneet Kaur, the situation is the same. This city also faced havoc of floods. The victims have been raising slogans against Amrinder Singh. If Amrinder Singh, in his two terms, as CM, his family winning four times Parliament elections from Patiala, have failed to build, a rain water release system here, then, whom one would blame. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), which proudly claims, that Prakash Singh Badal, is the only tall leader, who has remained,--CM five times,--also have no answer to floods. The villages around which, “illegal mining", has been done, also appears to be waiting for a--major disaster, later than sooner. It is by rotations-- ministers of Congress and SAD--make easy buck by illegal mining, hardly caring for those who vote them to power.
It is, the right time, the people of Punjab, start looking for fresh leaders, out and away from these two ruling families,-Prakash Singh Badal and Capt Amarinder Singh-otherwise, their future is doomed, and would remain the same, as it is today.
Meanwhile, the Bhakara Beas Management Board, has been repeatedly crying tha mining around Satluj is a --big threat to the foundation of the Bhakara Dam--but does not carries much weight, with the Punjab Government, because those involved in mining or theft of--sand and gravels mafia-- has the capacity to create trouble for the stability of the state Government.