With heavy rains battering large parts of Saurashtra and south Gujarat, the opposition Congress today asked the state government to announce immediate relief measures for affected farmers.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Paresh Dhanani of the Congress came down heavily on the BJP government for failing to make preparations in advance to minimise damage to crops due to heavy rains.
Dhanani said he has written a letter to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, requesting him to expedite relief measures for affected farmers.
Dhahani said he recently visited some of the affected regions along with state Congress president Amit Chavda and was shocked to see the scale of destruction these areas have faced due to recent rains.
He criticised the government's pre-monsoon preparedness and wondered where crores of rupees spent for the purpose went.
"The government should ensure that in future Gujarat does not face so much destruction due to heavy rains," he said.
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In his letter to the chief minister, Dhanani called for immediate steps to compensate the affected farmers for their loss of crops, cattle and properties.
Dhanani also suggested Rupani to take steps like providing power supply to affected villages, map areas using satellite imagery where freshly-sowed crops were washed away so that farmers get insurance money at the earliest.
He asked the government to make arrangement for items like life jackets, boats and mobile generators, among others, beforehand so that large-scale devastation could be minimised.
There should be a concrete back-up plan for power supply, drinking water, as well as mobile health care centres in affected areas for treatment of affected people, he said.