CHandigarh: At a time when Punjab is already suffering from floods, politics in the state has taken a fresh turn. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s brother, Gyan Singh Mann, made a post on social media on September 6, raising concerns about a department’s functioning and hinting at possible irregularities by the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party Government.
Gyan Singh Mann, who is usually seen accompanying the Chief Minister during visits to his home district, indicated in his post that all may not be well in the administration.
In his post, Gyan Singh Mann wrote, “Due to the non-cleaning of seasonal drains, people in towns and villages have suffered heavy losses to their houses, shops, and crops. More than Rs 250 crore released for this work has gone missing. Out of this, Rs 40 lakh was also released for the Lahar constituency of Water Resources Minister Shri Barinder Goyal. Was the cleaning of the drains done, or of the Rs 250 crore?”
He further wrote, “The government should conduct an inquiry into this matter and take strict action against the guilty officials and contractors.”
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Notably, this is the second flood in Punjab during the tenure of the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government, in controlling which it has failed miserably. So far, more than 1,200 villages have been submerged, 30 people have lost their lives, and over 3,50,000 people have been affected by the floods.
At the beginning of the monsoon, the weather department had predicted heavy rainfall, and the monsoon season rainfall also supported this report. Yet, no special steps were taken by the government. The entire Punjab is suffering the consequences of the negligence of the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) in controlling the water level of the dam and releasing water on time. The submerged areas of Punjab include about 1,225 villages in 12 districts. The standing crops of farmers have been destroyed, and lakhs of people are migrating to safer places.
Netizens are saying that instead of working on the ground, the Government is busy in high-level meetings. The topics that should have been discussed before the floods are being taken up only in emergency meetings.
At present, about 3.75 lakh acres of farmland, primarily paddy fields, remain submerged under floodwaters, leading to devastating crop losses just weeks ahead of harvesting. There has also been widespread loss of livestock, severely impacting rural households dependent on dairy and animal husbandry.
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