Punjab CM clears Rs 40 cr for flood protection

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has approved the release of Rs 40 crore to the Drainage Department for flood control measures and has ordered special assessment of crop damage due to natural calamities.
Sufficient budgetary provision has been made by the Revenue Department for the State Disaster Management Fund to tackle any eventuality, a spokesperson said today.
The Rs 40 crore allocation to the Drainage Department will go towards preventive and pre-emptive action to strengthen the flood protection works in sensitive areas.
Deputy commissioners have been asked to immediately get the special 'girdawari' (revenue assessment) conducted to assess the crop damage due to natural calamities such as unseasonal rains, hailstorms, canal breaches and gale-force winds, the spokesperson said.

They have been asked to set up round-the-clock control rooms in their respective districts in view of the monsoon and possible flooding of rivers and drains.
Teams of the Revenue Department as well as the irrigation and drainage departments are maintaining vigil along the vulnerable stretches of the rivers, said the spokesperson.