Gujarat floods: Congress demands Rs 2,000 crore package

AHMEDABAD: The opposition Congress today demanded that the Gujarat government should conduct a detailed survey of flood-hit north Gujarat region and announce a special package of Rs 2,000 crore for the affected region.

A party delegation comprising 10 MLAs from north Gujarat along with party chief whip in Gujarat Assembly Balwantsinh Rajput today met Chief Secretary G R Aloria in Gandhinagar and handed over a memorandum in this regard.

As per the memorandum, heavy rain followed by flood in many parts of Banaskantha, Patan, Mehsana, Arvalli and Sabarkantha districts have caused large scale devastation.

Congress claimed that over 20,000 hectares of farm-land has been washed away in the floods, while crop sowed in more than one lakh hectare face failure due to water logging, causing a huge loss to the local farmers.

The party also claimed that around 300 to 400 houses in each village of these districts are still submerged, forcing people to flee from their villages.

Apart from the loss of around 50 persons, over one lakh cattle have perished in the flood, it said.

Congress also claimed that many villages of worst-hit Banaskantha villages are still cut off as connecting roads have been washed away.

These MLAs also alleged that state machinery has completely failed to reach out to the affected people, who are still waiting for help.

They further requested the government to expedite the relief and rescue work and start the distribution of compensation to those who have lost their homes, property and cattle.

The MLAs also threatened to start agitation if the government fails to respond quickly.

Two days back, Gujarat Congress President Bharatsinh Solanki along with Leader of Opposition in Gujarat Assembly Shankersinh Vaghela visited flood affected villages in Patan.

They had also asked the government to release a special package for the region.