Punjab floods: Kejriwal requests central govt to help state as much as possible

Sultanpur Lodhi (Punjab) [India], September 4 (ANI): Arvind Kejriwal, the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), visited flood-affected regions of Sultanpur Lodhi to assess the flood situation in the region on Thursday.
During his visit, he highlighted the severe consequences of the flooding. He indicated that many villages have been completely obliterated by the disaster.
He noted that numerous residents have been evacuated and relocated to relief camps, while aid is being provided to those still in affected villages.
"There is a lot of flooding everywhere. Many villages have been washed away entirely... Many people have been evacuated from their villages and sent to relief camps... Those who are inside the villages are being sent help..," he said.
Kejriwal reported that approximately 1,400 villages and around 3 lakh people have been impacted by the floods. To ensure immediate assistance, a gazetted officer has been appointed for each village.
He also urged the Central Government to extend maximum support to Punjab during this crisis.
"Nearly 1400 villages and about 3 lakh people have been affected. A new gazetted office has been appointed for each village so that the villagers can get instant help... I would also request the central government to help Punjab as much as possible in this time of grief," he said.
Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday also visited Amritsar and Gurdaspur in the flood-hit Punjab and stated that two central teams are evaluating damage in the state, calling the current situation serious.
Chouhan further assured that the central government is standing firmly with the farmers and the public of the state.
"The situation is serious. Due to floods, the crops are destroyed. 1400 villages are badly affected. The Centre has sent two Central teams to assess the damage. The state government will also conduct an assessment. I have come here at the direction of the Prime Minister. In this difficult time, we stand firmly with the farmers and the public of Punjab," Chouhan told ANI.
Punjab is witnessing heavy rainfall, and around 37 lives have been lost due to severe flooding, announced the state government on Thursday.
According to the government of Punjab, around 1,655 villages have been affected, with Gurdaspur the most affected area of the lot, as 324 villages are impacted by flooding, followed by Ferozepur (111), Amritsar (190), Hoshiarpur (121), Kapurthala (123) and Sangrur (107), whose villages were significantly impacted by floods.
Further, the Punjab government said that around 1,75,216 hectares of total land have been affected. Gurdaspur was most affected, as 40,169 hectares of crop land were impacted due to heavy rain. Additionally, crop land in Mansa (24967), Sangrur (6560), Fazilika (17786) and Kapurthala (3000) were also affected.
However, villages of SAS Nagar (13), SBS Nagar (44), Moga (29), Roopnagar (05) and Patiala (53) were least affected by floods. While in Malerkotla (32), fewer hectares of crop land were affected due to floods.
Moreover, shedding light on the evacuation of the people, a total of 19,474 individuals have been evacuated, with Amritsar (2,734) and Gurdaspur (5,581) witnessing the largest number of evacuations. As per the Punjab government, 167 relief camps are under operation, with around 29 relief camps being operated in Barnala. (ANI)