CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Assembly today unanimously passed a resolution seeking a comprehensive special package of Rs 20,000 crore from the Union government for compensation to farmers, rebuilding infrastructure, and restoring livelihoods in flood-affected areas.
The assembly also condemned the 'lack of response and the failure' of the BJP-led union government to sanction a special financial package for the flood-hit Punjab.
The resolution also condemned the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for not responding to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s repeated request for a meeting, thereby 'insulting' the people of the state, and preventing the state from making a proper and comprehensive representation of the full scale of the disaster.
Additionally, it demanded the immediate transfer of Rs 1,600 crore relief announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Punjab.
The resolution, which was moved on Friday, was passed after the completion of the discussion on the rehabilitation of the state.
The two BJP MLAs were not present in the House when the resolution was passed. As per the resolution, Punjab has been ravaged by catastrophic floods, widely regarded as the worst and most destructive deluge since the 1988 floods, which historically impacted more than 34 lakh people.
The current disaster has surpassed previous major floods in independent India, such as those in 1955 and 1978, in terms of sheer scale and devastation, causing loss to more than 20 lakh people in many ways, destroying crops on nearly five lakh acres, numerous losses to livestock, and irreparable damage to both private and public infrastructure, read the resolution.
Winding up the discussion in the House on the concluding day of the session, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said a compensation of Rs 20,000 per acre for 75 to 100 per cent damage of crops due to the recent floods will be given.
He said Rs 10,000 per acre will be given for 33 to 75 per cent and 26 to 33 per cent of crop damage.
He added that a compensation of Rs 1.20 lakh will be given for complete damage of houses. Mann said a special 'girdawari' for assessment of losses is underway and added that flood-hit families will start getting compensation before the Diwali festival.
Farmers will be given Rs 7,200 per acre for extracting sand, which has accumulated following the floods, from their fields.
A sum of Rs 47,500 per hectare will be given to farmers whose farmland was washed away by rivers.
He slammed the Centre for allegedly not giving him time to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a representation of the disaster. He also took a swipe at the Centre, saying the PM gave time to meet the Punjab governor.
Mann, however, said he has been given time to meet Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday. The resolution stated, "This House categorically condemns the lack of response and the failure of the BJP-led Union government to sanction a special financial package commensurate with the scale of the worst floods faced by Punjab in decades."
"Records its strong protest against the BJP led Union government’s apathy that has resulted in the non-disbursement of the announced token funds, thereby critically crippling the speed of the state government’s ongoing relief and rehabilitation operations,” said the resolution.
Earlier in the day, the House was adjourned following a heated exchange between Leader of the Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and Finance Minister Harpal Cheema.
Cheema alleged that while Bajwa blamed the government for failing to provide relief, he himself was promoting self-interest through land deals at the expense of others.
In a statement, Bajwa accused the government of misleading the House and the people of Punjab on crucial flood preparedness measures. He specifically called out AAP minister Barinder Goyal, who had earlier claimed in the assembly that all preparations for flood mitigation had been completed by July 14.
“The facts prove otherwise,” Bajwa said. He revealed that on July 22, 2025, the Chief Engineer (Vigilance) of the Water Resources Department wrote to the Chief Engineer (Drainage) directing him to start reviewing the necessity of flood protection works — a process which had not even commenced at the site despite two-thirds of the monsoon season already having passed.
Bajwa alleged that Executive Engineers from several districts themselves admitted that no flood mitigation or drainage repair works had started in critical areas, including Shri Anandpur Sahib, Ropar, SAS Nagar, Patiala, Pathankot, and Ferozepur.
“These facts clearly expose the lies of Barinder Goyal and highlight the government’s negligence,” he added.
Bajwa also pointed to letters sent by the Water Resources Department in late July as proof of the administration’s unpreparedness. The Principal Secretary of the department had written to all Deputy Commissioners on July 28, directing them to procure EC bags and Geo bags for flood protection, while a separate letter on July 27 instructed the Chief Engineer to arrange EC bags for Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts.
“If everything was completed by July 14 as claimed, why did these urgent instructions go out two weeks later?” Bajwa asked.
Responding sharply to allegations made by Cheema regarding his personal land purchase, Bajwa clarified that he had bought the land legally and paid the required stamp duty to the state government. “If I have done anything illegal, I challenge Cheema to file a case against me,” he asserted.