On 8th September, the Punjab Cabinet announced the ‘Jehda Khet, Ohdi Ret’ initiative, which is a one-time measure allowing farmers to clear and sell silt deposited in their fields by devastating floods without requiring environmental clearance. The decision was taken during the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister of the state, Bhagwant Mann.
The initiative permits farmers to remove silt until 31st December without any clearance and sell it if they wish. Officials clarified that this exercise would not be considered sand mining, which is illegal in Punjab and only authorised companies are allowed to do. Deputy commissioners have been assigned to finalise lists of affected villages. Reportedly, silt that came with the floodwater covered farmland in 2,064 villages and standing crops over 4.3 lakh acres have been destroyed.
Farmers, however, face more hardship. They have not only lost their standing crop but are likely to miss another season, as it will take months to clear silt and make land cultivable again. Compensation and loan relief have been announced by both the State and the Central governments to help the farmers recover from the after-effects of the disaster.
