The North News
Chandigarh/Gurdaspur, September 5
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, along with Punjab Cabinet Ministers Aman Arora and Harbhajan Singh, on Thursday visited flood-hit areas of Dera Baba Nanak and the Sri Kartarpur Sahib Corridor to assess damage and meet affected residents. They first flagged off trolleys carrying relief materials at Shahpur Jajan Patti Rampur village before touring submerged areas. Local leaders, including Dera Baba Nanak MLA Gurdeep Singh Randhawa and Amritsar South MLA Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, as well as district officials, joined the visit.
Speaking to the media, Sanjay Singh criticised the Centre government for not announcing a special relief package despite heavy crop losses, livestock deaths and severe financial hardship for families. He accused the Centre of extending aid to Afghanistan while ignoring Punjab’s plight, and urged Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to move beyond “merely talking about reports” and announce immediate support.
AAP state president and minister Aman Arora said the Punjab government was fully mobilised in relief operations, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, party convener Arvind Kejriwal and ministers regularly visiting affected areas. He praised the role of volunteers and social service groups in providing assistance but stressed that Punjab, which contributes significantly to India’s food security, deserves urgent central support.
Arora also accused the Centre of financial discrimination, citing a ₹50,000 crore loss due to GST, ₹8,000 crore withheld under Rural Development and Market Development funds, and the recent cancellation of ₹828 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. He demanded the release of these funds along with a special financial package to restore Punjab’s flood-battered economy. #PunjabFloods,
