Heavy rains: Badal directs irrigation deptt, DCs to gear up

In view of the heavy rains lashing various parts of Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal asked the Deputy Commissioners of the districts along the river Satluj, Ravi and Beas to be extra vigilant.

Chandigarh: In view of the heavy rains lashing various parts of Punjab, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday asked the Deputy Commissioners of the districts along the river Satluj, Ravi and Beas to be extra vigilant to prevent any loss of human life and cattle.

Due to heavy rains in various parts of the state this week, especially in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts there has been huge inflow of water in reservoirs of Pong, Bhakhra and Ranjit Sagar Dam besides several other parts across the state, an official spokesperson said here. He said that Badal has directed the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of the districts along the river Satluj, Ravi and Beas to be extra vigilant round-the-clock to prevent any loss of human life and cattle besides damage to the property. The Chief Minister also asked the DCs to keep special medical and veterinary teams with abundant supply of medicine in position so that they could be pressed into service instantly in the water logged areas, as warranted by the circumstances. The spokesperson said that the people in Ghaniye Ki Bet across river Ravi had been evacuated by administration to safer places last evening. "Sufficient boats and other logistics were available with the district administration to cope up with any emergent situation arising out of incessant rain in the region. Some portion of the advance bundh at Shahpur village on river Ravi in Ajnala Sub-Division of Amritsar district that was damaged has been effectively plugged by the district administration and irrigation department," he said. A joint operation by the district administration, Army personnel, Border Security Force (BSF), Punjab Police and Irrigation department was in full swing to strengthen the embankment of advance bundh. The Chief Minister has deputed the Principal Secretary Irrigation along with Chief engineer Canals and Drainage to tour the vulnerable areas for monitoring the situation. The Commissioner of Jalandhar and Ferozepur Divisions has also been directed to tour the areas for further intensifying the efforts of the district administration. "A close liaison was being maintained by the Chief Minister`s Office and Irrigation department with the authorities of Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) so that release of water in Satluj, Ravi and Beas could be monitored. The flow of water in river Ravi which was 4.90 lakh cusecs on the evening of August 16 has now receded to 3.15 lakh cusecs. Sufficient funds had already been placed at the disposal of DCs to handle the situation efficaciously," the spokesperson added. Meanwhile, Punjab Congress President and Gurdaspur MP Partap Singh Bajwa alleged that the SAD-BJP government was "caught napping while the floods in hundreds of villages along the Beas and Satluj rivers in border districts of Punjab have played havoc". "Thousands of people were still marooned and thousands of acres of crops are damaged," he said addressing meeting of party workers at Mukerian. He demanded adequate compensation for the damaged crops and homes of people. PTI