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Chandigarh/Amritsar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Punjab on September 9 to review the devastation caused by the state’s worst floods since 1988. According to sources, the PM is expected to conduct an aerial survey of the flood-hit border regions, though his official schedule is yet to be released. The visit, coming after repeated pleas by the Punjab Government for central assistance, is being closely watched both administratively and politically.
Border Security Impact
Officials revealed that the floods have not only destroyed villages and submerged farmland but also damaged fencing along the International Border and eroded multiple Border Security Force posts in Punjab and adjoining Jammu & Kashmir. The breaches are seen as a matter of national security, further necessitating the PM’s direct intervention.
Likely Itinerary
As per tentative plans, the Prime Minister is expected to arrive in Amritsar on Tuesday afternoon, after casting his vote in the vice-presidential election in New Delhi. PM may Conduct an aerial survey of Amritsar, Gurdaspur and adjoining districts worst affected by the deluge and could hold a high-level review meeting with Punjab ministers, top state officials, and central agencies involved in flood relief and rehabilitation.
Scale of Damage
Punjab has pegged its preliminary losses at over ₹13,000 crore, with 4 lakh acres of farmland inundated and standing crops — mainly paddy and maize — severely damaged. Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts have reported the heaviest destruction, though almost every district in Punjab has been impacted.
Political Overtones
The PM’s visit comes amid heightened political sparring between the ruling AAP government in Punjab and the BJP at the Centre. While the AAP leadership has accused the Centre of delaying financial aid and withholding ₹60,000 crore in pending dues, BJP leaders, including Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, have blamed the floods on “mismanagement” and “illegal mining.”
Observers say Modi’s Punjab tour will serve a dual purpose — to signal solidarity with flood victims while also providing the BJP an opportunity to strengthen its political presence in a state where it is seeking to expand ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
The disaster has revived memories of the 1988 Punjab floods, when nearly the entire state was marooned. Many are drawing parallels, saying the current deluge has again exposed the fragility of flood control systems, the silt-choked dams upstream, and the gaps in disaster preparedness.
