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Congress seeks White Paper on Calamity Fund

CHANDIGARH: Even as Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal called upon a visiting Central team to assess the total loss in the State due to recent floods from a “new” perspective, the Congress party on Monday demanded a ‘White Paper’ on utilisation of the State Calamity Relief Fund as well as advance preparedness to meet such an eventuality.

Through a statement quoting the chief spokesman of the party’s State unit, Bir Devinder Singh, the Congress has taken strong exception to the fact that the State Government had not yet utilised Rs.1,646 crore of the fund for the welfare of the flood affected people. Instead, the Chief Minister and his son, Sukhbir Singh, who is the president of the ruling Akali Dal, rushed to Delhi demanding Rs.500 crore for relief.

Demanding a White Paper on the matter, the Congress said it had become imperative for the Badal Government to explain whether the fund had been utilised for purposes other than it was meant for. The party was of the opinion that Rs.1,646 crore was sufficient to provide immediate relief to the flood victims whose houses and belongings were ravaged by the floods.

The massive devastation caused by floods had also exposed the fragility of the State machinery to deal with the grim situation, Mr. Singh said, pointing out that if embankments of rivers and other water bodies have been strengthened adequately in advance, the situation would not have been as bad.

Meanwhile, Mr. Badal requested the five-member Central team to assess the State’s case for flood relief to the Union Home Ministry on the basis of revised norms because the nature and quantum of damage caused to crops and property was absolutely different from the loss suffered on this account by other States during the recent floods.

Mr. Badal justified his argument for a different perspective as the paddy crop in the affected areas which was near the ripening stage had completely vanished. He said the affected farmers in such cases could be compensated only with the revised norms as the existing rates of Rs.4,000 per hectare were grossly inadequate.

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Congress seeks White Paper on Calamity Fund

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