Cabinet Ministers Harpal Cheema and Aman Arora review relief work in flood affected areas of Moonak

• *Reach out to people cut off from villages to provide relief material*

• *People express satisfaction over relief operation being carried out by CM Mann led Punjab Government: Harpal Singh Cheema*

• *Punjab Govt will make a comprehensive plan to prevent any damage in future by rains: Aman Arora*

Chandigarh/ Moonk, July 15:

Following the directions of the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Cabinet Ministers Harpal Singh Cheema and Aman Arora visited the flood affected areas of Moonak on Saturday to took stock of the relief works being carried out by the Sangrur district administration. They were also accompanied by MLA Barinder Goyal on this occasion.

The Cabinet Ministers visited Lord Shiva School, Hamirgarh, where district administration has set up evacuation and coordination centre. After that, they went to deluge affected Deras/Dhanis of Nawagaon and Hotipur in boat of Army.

Punjab Finance Minister Advocate Harpal Singh Cheema said that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann himself is keeping constant vigil on the situation and the relief operations being carried out in the flood affected areas. He said that today they approached the people, who are cut off from their villages because of flood, through boats along with administrative officials, Army and NDRF personnel to review the situation, besides providing them relief materials. He said that the flood effected people have expressed their satisfaction regarding the relief operations being carried out by the Punjab government.

Cheema said that the district administration has created zones to deliver help through boats to farms, camps and villages, and is providing every assistance including medical. He said that funds have been released by the Punjab government for the relief operations and relief materials are being delivered to every affected citizen of the state. He said that the water level is gradually decreasing, after which action will be taken to rehabilitate the affected people and life will be back to normal soon.

On this occasion, Cabinet Minister Aman Arora said that soon the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will prepare such a comprehensive plan that can provide a suitable solution to the natural calamities being faced every year during the rainy season. He said that from the very first day all the ministers, MLAs, administration, Police, Army, NDRF personnel are working day and night under the leadership of the Chief Minister to deal with this calamity.

Mr.Arora said that efforts were made in advance by the Punjab government to tackle with any possible floods, cleaning the drains was ensured, but this time, the water level in Ghaggar increased to the level of 752 feet, while earlier there was used to be breach in it at the level of 748 feet. He said that the Punjab government will leave no stone unturned in the relief & rescue works and rehabilitation work in the flood-affected parts. He further said that if the previous governments had taken efforts to deal with such natural calamities in a systematic manner, such situations would not have arisen.

Before this, the Cabinet Ministers held a review meeting with the administrative officers and issued guidelines while taking stock at the relief center established in Hamirgarh.