Jalandhar: Dozens of villages in Garhshankar submerged due to heavy rains, roads washed away
Jalandhar: Heavy rains in Garhshankar subdivision have inundated more than two dozen villages and washed away at least half a dozen roads in the heavy torrent of rainwater. The inundation has also caused extensive damage to hundreds of acres of standing crops as water entered fields in several villages. The floodwaters inundated key infrastructure, including the 66 KV power house and civil hospital on Sri Anandpur Sahib Road, affecting villages like Pandori Beet, Rampur, Bildan, Bhammia, Rodmajra, Pahalwal and Garhshankar town. The floodwaters rose up to five feet in Pandori Beet, forcing residents to place sandbags on the doors of their houses to keep the water out. Despite these efforts, several houses were inundated. Road connectivity was badly affected. Landslides and falling of trees on the Garhshankar-Nangal road completely blocked access to the Beet area and Himachal Pradesh, which could be opened only by afternoon. Besides, more than 15 feet of the road between Kunail village and Rodmajra village was washed away due to the strong water flow. In Nangla village, both the approach roads were washed away, cutting off the village from all sides.
The situation worsened as several small rivers and seasonal streams, including Pandori Beet and Maira Khad, overflowed, blocking several roads and making it difficult for residents to reach their destinations. Crops in villages like Rodmajra, Nangla, Rampur and Bildan suffered heavy losses as floodwaters entered large swaths of agricultural land, affecting hundreds of acres. Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) Sanjeev Kumar visited the affected villages and assessed the situation. Relief operations are underway—rations are being delivered where needed and sand bags have been placed after draining out water from the 66 KV power grid and civil hospital in Garhshankar. He assured that road repairs will begin as soon as the water recedes and a report on the damage to crops will be prepared and submitted to the government for compensation. “There is definitely a challenge due to continuous heavy rains, but the situation is under control at the moment,” the SDM said.
Chief Secretary reviews flood relief in Sultanpur Lodhi
Punjab Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha on Sunday assured that the state government will provide all possible help to the people living in flood-affected areas of Punjab. He emphasised the government’s commitment to find a permanent solution to prevent future flooding in 16 villages of Baupur Island in Sultanpur Lodhi subdivision of Kapurthala district. While reviewing the ongoing flood relief works in Sultanpur Lodhi, Sinha was accompanied by Water Resources Department Secretary Krishan Kumar. The Chief Secretary visited Baupur and Sangra villages, interacted with local residents and listened carefully to their concerns. He assured the villagers that the Punjab government was taking their problems seriously and would make dedicated efforts to protect the area from recurrent floods.
He highlighted that massive efforts are underway to evacuate people, provide adequate shelter and ration supplies, prevent outbreak of diseases and ensure the health of livestock. Sinha directed all officers and personnel engaged in relief and rescue operations to discharge their responsibilities with a spirit of public service and commitment. Giving priority to the protection of life and property, the Chief Secretary called for expediting the evacuation operation in severely affected areas. During his visit, he was accompanied by Rajya Sabha Member Balbir Singh Seechewal, Chairman Kapurthala Improvement Trust Sajjan Singh Cheema and Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal. The team travelled by boat from Baupur Bridge to reach out to flood-affected families and take stock of the ground situation.
Sinha also reviewed the relief work being carried out jointly by the district administration, Army and SDRF (State Disaster Response Force). He said the Punjab government has ordered special girdawari (crop damage assessment) in the flood-affected areas and tehsildars have been deployed to expedite the disbursement of compensation to the affected farmers. Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal apprised the Chief Secretary about the situation in the flood-affected villages of Kapurthala district. He informed that the Army and SDRF teams are actively engaged in evacuating people to safer places and door-to-door awareness campaigns are being conducted to motivate residents to move to safer places. Relief camps have been set up at Fazalabad, Lakh Waryain, Ahli Kalan, Mand Kooka Gurdwara Sahib and Bharoana Gurdwara Rabab Sar Sahib. Teams of revenue, health, animal husbandry, water resources and other departments are deployed round the clock and are actively involved in relief operations across the region.
