Punjab flood losses at Rs 14,000 cr; crops on 1.75 lakh hectare damaged, toll reaches 46

Punjab flood losses at Rs 14,000 cr; crops on 1.75 lakh hectare damaged, toll reaches 46

Punjab has pegged its initial loss due to floods at nearly ₹13,500 crore, with agriculture and rural infrastructure bearing the brunt of the devastation.

The estimates, including a plea for ₹1,900 crore as immediate compensation for devastated farmers, who have suffered complete loss of crops at the peak of the sowing season, were placed before the central team of experts, which has been camping in Punjab for the past two days.

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After a two-day field visit in flood-affected areas, on Saturday, the team held detailed discussions with senior state government officials, led by the chief secretary, in Chandigarh to assess the scale of destruction.

According to the preliminary departmental estimates, the rural development and panchayati raj department has conveyed a loss of ₹5,400 crore, pointing to massive destruction of rural infrastructure, including link roads, culverts, water channels and drainage systems.

Officials said villages in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Pathankot and Kapurthala were the worst hit, with many local habitations left cut off and civic amenities completely washed away.

The public works department (PWD) has reported losses worth ₹1,990 crore.

As per PWD officials, the field reports indicate that over 1,200 rural roads have been completely damaged, disrupting connectivity across vast swathes of Punjab, while around 70 bridges require urgent repair or total reconstruction.

The Punjab Mandi Board has estimated damages of nearly ₹900 crore. Key rural mandis and market yards, besides approach roads maintained by the board, have suffered extensive damage, severely affecting procurement and transportation of farm produce.

“We need money immediately to restore our infrastructure as crops have to come in these yards for the procurement,” said a senior Mandi Board official.

Losses to the health infrastructure stand at nearly ₹780 crore, with the school education department reporting another ₹540 crore in damages.

Livestock, fisheries and farm infrastructure have also reported significant destruction, though detailed surveys are still being compiled.

State government officials have informed the central team that the consolidated demand reflects the scale of devastation across multiple sectors — from roads, bridges, mandis and rural infrastructure to agriculture and livelihoods.

The central team is expected to complete its field visits shortly and submit a comprehensive report to the Union government. The final relief package for Punjab will be decided based on the Centre’s assessment, said a senior government official.

A division bench of justices GS Kulkarni and Manjusha Deshpande made it clear that once a building is declared unsafe, residents cannot obstruct the municipal corporation from demolishing it, nor can minority members delay redevelopment decisions taken by an overwhelming majority.

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has directed the demolition of dangerously dilapidated buildings in two housing societies in Vasai (West), observing that public safety must prevail over disputes raised by a handful of dissenting members.

Palghar: A four-storey unauthorised building collapsed onto adjacent vacant chawl, at Virar, in Palghar district, Thursday, Aug. 28, 2025. 15 dead, several injured in the incident. 

A division bench of justices GS Kulkarni and Manjusha Deshpande made it clear that once a building is declared unsafe, residents cannot obstruct the municipal corporation from demolishing it, nor can minority members delay redevelopment decisions taken by an overwhelming majority.

The court’s decision assumes significance as it comes days after 17 people died when a portion of an illegal four-storey residential building collapsed in Virar on August 27.

The case in the high court concerned building numbers H-1 and H-2 of the Deepanjali Cooperative Housing Society (CHS), and building numbers H-3 and H-4 of the Pushpanjali CHS, located at Diwan and Sons Housing Enclave on Ambadi Road in Vasai (West). On February 28, 2025, the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) had categorised these buildings as C-1 structures, meaning they were too dangerous for habitation and required immediate demolition.

Although conflicting structural audit reports initially created confusion, the matter was referred to the VVCMC’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), which, after due consideration, confirmed on June 27, 2025, that the buildings were unsafe. Acting on this report, the VVCMC issued notices on July 1, calling upon the residents to vacate their homes so that demolition could proceed.

The high court noted that, in line with its earlier judgments in other matters, civic bodies are under a legal obligation to take swift action once structures are found to pose risks to human life, and that officials who fail to act may themselves be held accountable.

It was further observed that in the present case, the housing society members had already resolved to redevelop the properties, with 87% of Pushpanjali CHS members and 92% of Deepanjali CHS members voting in favour of redevelopment and appointing a developer for the project. The petitioners argued that the obstruction was being caused only by a few members who opposed certain aspects of the redevelopment plan.

The court agreed with the petitioners’ contention that a minority of members could not be permitted to hold up redevelopment when the buildings had been officially declared unsafe and the majority had decided to proceed. Citing earlier precedents, the court reiterated that redevelopment cannot be stalled by a small group of residents adopting an obstructive approach. It held that while the minority members are entitled to pursue their objections through appropriate legal proceedings, such objections cannot endanger lives or delay the demolition of hazardous buildings.

During the hearing, the counsel for the VVCMC confirmed that the authority was ready to proceed with demolition but sought police protection to deal with any resistance. On their part, the dissenting members did not dispute the dangerous condition of the buildings, but requested additional time to vacate due to the Ganesh festival. The court found this request reasonable but granted them additional time only on the condition that the residents filed undertakings to vacate their flats unconditionally and refrained from obstructing the demolition.

Disposing of the petitions, the high court ordered that residents opposing demolition must file undertakings by August 26, 2025, committing to vacate within two weeks. If they fail to do so, the VVCMC was empowered to evict them with police assistance and carry out the demolition.

The judges further directed that the cost of demolition would be borne by the housing societies themselves and recoverable by the civic body. While permitting the appointed developer to undertake demolition if authorised by the societies within 10 days, the court clarified that if the VVCMC was to carry out the work, police protection must be made available to ensure there is no obstruction.