Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday confirmed that as many as 12 people have lost their lives in separate incidents of house collapse triggered by heavy rains across different districts of the state, including Fatehabad, Bhiwani and Kurukshetra. Extending condolences to the bereaved families, Saini announced an ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.
Among the incidents, a particularly tragic one occurred last week in Bhiwani’s Kalinga village, where three young girls died after the roof of their rented house caved in while they were asleep. Their parents and minor brother, who were also injured, are under treatment.
The Chief Minister detailed that extensive relief measures are underway in flood-hit and waterlogged areas. His entire cabinet, along with BJP MLAs and supporting Independents, will contribute one month’s salary toward relief efforts. Officials, employees, industries and social organisations have also been urged to donate to the Haryana CM’s Relief Fund.
Highlighting the state’s efforts, Saini said ₹3.26 crore has been sanctioned as a reserve fund for immediate relief. The funds are being used for food, clothing, temporary shelters, tents, animal fodder, fuel, transportation of relief material and drainage works. Relief camps have also been set up for displaced families.
To streamline compensation, the government has launched the e-Kshatipurti portal, allowing citizens to register their losses. So far, 2.53 lakh farmers from 5,217 villages have registered nearly 15 lakh acres of affected land, with verification work in progress. Compensation of up to ₹15,000 per acre will be provided for damaged crops, while officials are using drones to map affected fields of cotton, paddy and millet.
Medical teams have been dispatched to flood-hit areas, and health services are being delivered through camps. Meanwhile, steps are being taken to address fodder shortages by procuring supplies from unaffected districts.
Saini emphasised that the situation is under control, with officers and employees actively engaged in relief and rehabilitation. He also visited several waterlogged villages to assess the damage firsthand and reassure citizens of the government’s support.
Taking a swipe at the opposition, Saini said while it was good that opposition leaders were now visiting flood-hit areas, earlier they had confined themselves to “just tweeting”. He also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, remarking that he tends to go abroad during national crises, while contrasting this with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who, according to Saini, cancels his schedules to stand by citizens during natural disasters.
