Punjab: 5-day drive to restore flood-hit mandis ahead of paddy procurement
The Punjab government has initiated a special five-day campaign, set to begin on Sunday, to restore all grain markets (mandis) affected by recent floods to ensure hassle-free paddy procurement for farmers. The drive aims to clear stagnant water and silt deposit, ensuring all mandis are fully operational for the kharif procurement season, said Gurmeet Singh Khudian, state minister for agriculture and farmers’ welfare.
The drive will ensure that the affected mandis are fully restored and made operational by September 19.
The minister informed that all preliminary arrangements have been completed across the state’s grain markets for the smooth kharif procurement season commencing on September 16.
7-day cleanliness drive in cities
Local government minister Dr Ravjot Singh launched a seven-day drive for cleanliness, potable water supply and preventive health-related interventions to ensure restoration of normalcy in the towns and cities. He said requisite directions had been given to the urban local bodies across the state to take the task on a mission mode.
He said silt or sand along with other debris would be collected in towns which saw inundation. Steps would be initiated to undertake repair of affected water supply schemes, street lights, sewage treatment plants, roads (through urgent patchwork), etc. Proper repair of damaged roads/potholes would be initiated after the end of the monsoon season.
Fight against water-borne diseases
Health and family welfare minister Dr Balbir Singh has issued orders for deployment of all available resources—including government doctors, private volunteers, Ayurveda medical officers and MBBS interns—to spearhead a special health campaign in 2,303 flood-affected villages from Sunday. The main focus would be on preventing outbreaks of vector-borne, water-borne and communicable diseases.
Over 11,103 ASHA workers will conduct weekly house-to-house visits in these villages to distribute essential health kits containing mosquito repellent, ORS, paracetamol, chlorine tablets, soap and other supplies, he said, while adding that they would also screen for illnesses and raise awareness about disease prevention.
A fumigation and vector-control exercise would be carried out every day for the next 21 days in all affected villages.
Debris clearance, carcass disposal by Sept 24
Rural development and panchayats minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said the state government has launched a programme, with a special focus on immediate relief and restoration of essential infrastructure besides ensuring transparency. Sond underlined the scale of devastation, noting that floods have left behind large volumes of silt and debris, caused significant livestock loss and damaged public infrastructure including anganwadis, schools, cremation grounds, community centres and ponds. The government has fixed strict timelines for execution — debris clearance and carcass disposal by September 24, minor repairs to community assets by October 15 and desilting of ponds by October 22.
This article has been republished from The Hindustan Times