The Chief Secretary of Punjab, K A P Sinha, reviewed the stock of the flood-affected areas of Amritsar, Pathankot, and Kapurthala districts and asserted that the state government stands firmly with the people in this hour of crisis. Once the situation returns to normal, a special survey will be conducted and compensation will be given for every type of loss, he said.
Sinha said relief and rescue operations are currently underway. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has constituted a high-powered committee for relief work, under which three senior officers have been deputed to the Amritsar district to supervise and assist in these operations.
Sinha visited the flood-affected areas of Ajnala and Ramdas in Amritsar district, and Bamiyal and Narot Jaimal Singh blocks in Pathankot, where he also inspected the Dhussi embankment of the Ravi river. He also reviewed the arrangements made at the relief centre set up in Chamiyari village.
The chief secretary reached villages surrounded by flood waters to personally assess the situation and interact with the residents.
Later, he held a detailed meeting with the district administration and Army officials to discuss the rescue and relief strategy and the successes achieved so far. He appreciated the continuous efforts being made by the army personnel, NDRF, police, and civil administration.
During his visit to the flood-affected area of Bamiyal and Kolian in Pathankot, he said that excessive water in the Ravi river had damaged the embankment, due to which several villages in Pathankot district along the river were affected by floods.
He mentioned that as the water level in the river has now receded, the water in flood-hit areas is also decreasing.
In Kapurthala, Sinha reviewed the flood relief operations at Sultanpur Lodhi and interacted with the people of Baupur and Sangra. He listened to their demands and assured them that the Punjab government would make serious efforts to find a permanent solution to protect 16 villages of Baupur from future floods.
Sinha said that large-scale efforts were underway to evacuate people safely, provide shelter and rations, prevent the spread of diseases, and take care of livestock health in flood-affected areas. He instructed the officers and employees engaged in relief work to treat their duties as a public service.
Sinha also emphasised that during this difficult time, the administration must give priority to safeguarding lives and property, and especially speed up the evacuation of people from flood-affected areas. The CS and Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal visited flood-hit families by a boat from the Baupur bridge.
Meanwhile, Additional Chief Secretary-cum-Financial Commissioner Revenue Anurag Verma reviewed the flood relief operations in the districts of Ferozepur and Fazilka. He assessed the prevailing situation and directed officials to ensure uninterrupted relief measures for the affected families. Verma, after inspecting the villages along the Sutlej river in Ferozepur, shared that due to heavy rainfall, nearly three lakh acres of land in Punjab have been affected, and around 1.25 lakh people have come under the impact of floods.
He held detailed discussions with the flood-affected villagers and the district administration regarding the losses.
In district Ferozepur alone, around 107 villages and nearly 45,000 people have been impacted. Some of the displaced families have been shifted to eight relief camps set up by the district administration, where they are being provided food supplies and all other essential items.
Referring to village Gatti Rajoke, Verma said that residents had drawn attention to the slow drainage of floodwaters. Hence, instructions have been issued to the drainage department to expedite dewatering. He further said that due to waterlogging on the roads, several villages have been cut off from connectivity, and the administration has been directed to speed up restoration efforts.
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