The Punjab Government on Saturday launched a cleanliness drive for flood-hit areas in the state, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann vowing to make affected villages silt-free by September 24.
Estimated to cost Rs 100 crore, the exercise has been initiated a day after the government issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the removal of silt from fields. The government has allowed farmers to clear their land and sell the silt deposited by rivers without obtaining a permit till December 31. They are also not required to pay any royalty.
However, farmers have expressed concern over the expenditure they will have to incur for the clearing of silt, saying its sale would hardly earn them Rs 2,000 per trolley due to its inferior quality.
Huge swathes of land have been covered with silt in the state as standing crops on around 4.81 lakh acres were damaged by floodwaters.
Interacting with media persons, the CM said that though floodwaters had receded from several areas, it was essential to remove the silt to make the fields cultivable again. He said the drive had been launched for all 2,300 affected villages and urban areas.