Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit both Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on September 9 to review the extensive damage caused by incessant rains, floods and landslides. Leaders from both states confirmed the visit on Sunday.
Jai Ram Thakur Welcomes PM to Himachal
Leader of Opposition in Himachal Pradesh Jai Ram Thakur, in a press statement, said the Prime Minister will travel to Dharamshala to assess the situation.
“On behalf of the people of Himachal Pradesh, we extend a warm welcome to PM Modi. I will apprise him of the devastation caused in different regions due to incessant rains and landslides,” said Thakur, as quoted by news agency PTI.
Thakur also criticised the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led state government, accusing it of withdrawing key benefits from employees, including dearness allowance, medical reimbursements, higher grade pay, and the right to regularisation after two years. He further alleged that contractual workers have been reduced to job trainees and more than 2,000 institutions, including universities, schools, hospitals and administrative offices, have been shut down in the past two-and-a-half years.
“Instead of strengthening facilities in the state, the state government is weakening them. CM’s so-called ‘Vyavastha Parivartan’ has turned into a government of grief and decline,” he added.
Earlier, Thakur visited Bagra Thach and Bahel Sainj villages in Seraj constituency, where he interacted with families affected by landslides. He noted that nearly 50 houses were impacted, with at least 12 completely destroyed, forcing residents to take shelter in a school. Relief material was distributed, and he urged the state government to expedite rehabilitation and financial aid while cautioning people to remain alert amid ongoing heavy rainfall.
Sunil Jakhar Confirms Punjab Visit
In neighbouring Punjab, BJP state unit president Sunil Jakhar confirmed that Modi will also be visiting the flood-ravaged regions on September 9.
“He (Modi) is visiting Punjab on September 9 to personally assess the local conditions and understand the ground realities to provide maximum assistance to the people of Punjab,” Jakhar wrote in a post on X, adding that the Prime Minister is “deeply concerned” about the crisis and is monitoring it closely.
Jakhar said the Centre stands firmly with the people of Punjab. Two central teams that assessed flood damage are preparing to submit their reports to the Union government.
Centre’s Earlier Visits to Punjab
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had earlier toured Punjab on September 4, describing the crisis as a “deluge” and assuring farmers that every possible effort would be made to support them. During his visit to Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Kapurthala districts, he inspected the extent of crop losses.
Punjab is facing one of its worst flood situations in decades, with swollen rivers Sutlej, Beas and Ravi, along with seasonal rivulets, inundating large parts of the state after heavy rainfall in catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Continuous downpours within Punjab have worsened the flooding.
Officials have reported that the floods have so far claimed 46 lives in the state, while standing crops on about 1.75 lakh hectares have been damaged.
