Gurdaspur (Punjab) [India], September 5 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday inspected flood-affected areas in Punjab's Gurdaspur, and said that the 1,400 villages in the state remain affected as crops have been destroyed due to the floods.

'The situation is serious. Due to floods, the crops are destroyed. 1,400 villages are badly affected. The Centre has sent two Central teams to assess the damage. The state government will also conduct an assessment. I have come here at the direction of the Prime Minister. In this difficult time, we stand firmly with the farmers and the public of Punjab,' Chouhan told ANI.

Later, he also met flood-affected people of Kapurthala village in Punjab.

Amidst Punjab's severe floods, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday announced the appointment of one gazetted officer for each village in the state to facilitate better communication between the administration and affected people.

In a post on social media X, the CM wrote that with the appointment of the gazetted officer, the people of the villages would be able to share their problems, and prompt and appropriate solutions could be provided.

'To ensure direct communication between the administration and the people of the flood-affected villages of the state, we are appointing one gazetted officer for each village, so that those affected by the natural disaster can share all their problems with them, and prompt and appropriate solutions can be provided,' the post read.

Heavy floods in Punjab have killed 37 people, as per the state government. Apart from that, a total of around 1,655 villages have been affected, with Gurdaspur being the most affected area, as 324 villages have been impacted by flooding, followed by Ferozpur (111), Amritsar (190), Hoshiarpur (121), Kapurthala (123) and Sangrur (107). As per the government, around 1,75,216 hectares of total cropland have been affected.

Farmers have claimed crop losses as water from the Satluj River entered their fields in the villages in the Jalalabad area of Fazilka district of Punjab, and appealed to the government for immediate compensation and a waiver of their debts.

Speaking to ANI, farmers said that nearly 1,500 acres of paddy crop were destroyed in the villages of Dandi Kadam and Dhani Natha Singh in Jalalabad tehsil of Fazilka after water from the Satluj River entered the fields. Farmers said the inundation has wiped out their entire harvest.

The flood-affected farmers stated that the government was providing fodder for livestock and some essential food supplies, but they required additional assistance. (ANI)