Punjab CM asks ministers to go to flood-hit areas; rescue operations underway

By PTI

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday requested his ministers to go to the flood-hit areas within the state, whilst rescue and aid operations are underway in Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar and Gurdaspur districts.

Many areas in Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar and Gurdaspur districts had been inundated following the discharge of extra water from the Bhakra and Pong dams, officers mentioned.

The Bhakra Dam on Sutlej river and the Pong Dam on Beas river — each in Himachal Pradesh — are brimming after heavy rain of their respective catchment areas.

Authorities have already launched rescue and aid operations within the flood-hit areas in these three districts and in addition mentioned that they had been maintaining a watch on the state of affairs.

Chief Minister Mann directed his ministers to go to flood-hit areas and in addition issued instructions to depute groups of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), mentioned official sources.

In an advisory on Monday, the Punjab authorities had requested residents of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala and Tarn Taran districts to not enterprise close to the Beas after it was determined that water from the Pong Dam could be launched.

After the water was launched from dams, it entered low-lying areas and a number of other villages, even some homes, situated on the banks of the Beas and Sutlej rivers.

ALSO READ | Several villages in Punjab inundated after water launched from Pong, Bhakra dam

Crops have additionally been submerged in a number of locations due to floodwaters, villagers mentioned. Many villagers have been evacuated to security, officers mentioned.

Cabinet ministers Harbhajan Singh and Bram Shanker Jimpa took inventory of the state of affairs of flood-hit areas in Tanda Urmar within the Hoshiarpur district.

Speaking to reporters, Singh mentioned rescue operations had been underway and that boats have been deployed to evacuate folks to security.

He additionally mentioned that the general public works division and mining division had been engaged in plugging the breaches of embankments alongside the Beas River.

Punjab Education Minister and Anandpur Sahib MLA Harjot Singh Bains visited flood-hit areas within the Rupnagar district and requested folks to not panic.

He mentioned folks trapped in Harsa Bela and Patti Dulchi villages in Anandpur Sahib have been rescued.

He additionally appealed to folks dwelling close to the banks of Sutlej river that they need to transfer to safer locations.

Bains mentioned the CM was monitoring the state of affairs.

Punjab has been flooded for the second time in simply over a month.

Several components of Punjab had been affected by a rains within the state between July 9 and July 11, which flooded huge expanses of agricultural fields and different areas, apart from paralysing regular life.

Many areas in Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar and Gurdaspur districts had been inundated following the discharge of extra water from the Bhakra and Pong dams, officers mentioned.

The Bhakra Dam on Sutlej river and the Pong Dam on Beas river — each in Himachal Pradesh — are brimming after heavy rain of their respective catchment areas.googletag.cmd.push(perform() googletag.show(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); );