Chandigarh [India], October 15 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab President Kewal Singh Dhillon has welcomed the Central Government’s initiative to find a permanent solution to the problem of waterlogging and waterlogged saline land in Fazilka district.
Dhillon thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on behalf of Punjab’s farmers for the initiative.
He said, "The formation of a six-member expert committee under the leadership of the Director of ICAR-CSSRI, Karnal, by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to find a permanent solution to the waterlogging problem in Fazilka was an important step.”
The committee will conduct a ground-level assessment of the affected areas and recommend appropriate, scientifically sound solutions to restore agricultural land affected by waterlogging and make it suitable for cultivation again.
Dhillon said, "Farmers in Fazilka and adjoining areas suffer substantial losses every year due to waterlogging. The initiative taken by the expert committee will help identify the root causes of the problem and develop permanent and effective solutions.”
The Punjab BJP Chief said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Central Government is committed to the welfare of farmers, strengthening the agricultural sector and increasing farmers’ incomes.
The initiative marks an important step towards finding scientific and sustainable solutions to the problems faced by Punjab’s farmers.
Earlier, heavy rainfall triggered severe waterlogging in grain markets across Punjab and Haryana, leading to significant damage to lakhs of quintals of stored paddy. Visuals from the site show rows of grain sacks lying submerged in rainwater, sparking outrage among local farmers.
In Fazilka, the grain market was inundated following recent rains, leaving vast quantities of harvested grain soaked and damaged. Farmers at the site highlighted the lack of drainage infrastructure as the primary cause of the destruction.
Speaking to ANI, Naresh Kumar, a farmer affected by the flooding, expressed deep frustration over the recurring issue.
"There is no outlet for the water to recede, which caused us a lot of damage. Several of these sacks belong to me. You can see the condition now. It always rains and water always enters here; had it receded, things would not have been bad," he said.
Lamenting the loss of six months of hard work, Kumar added, "We have suffered losses. We grew crops for six months, and this is the outcome. This is all a waste now. This is the situation across the grain market." (ANI)
Centre’s initiative to find permanent solution to waterlogging in Fazilka is welcome step: Kewal Singh Dhillon
