Army evacuates 900 from a flooded private university in Chandigarh

The teams flood were dispatched to the affected areas of Patiala, Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ropar in Punjab and Panchkula and Ambala in Haryana. “After assessing the situation on ground, the rescue and relief columns reached the affected areas. The rescue team along with the Army engineer detachments worked throughout the (Sunday-Monday intervening) night to evacuate the stranded people and helped to prevent breaching of canals by the flood waters,” an Army statement said.

The Army teams evacuated 910 students and 50 others from flooded Chitkara University at Rajpura in Patiala late Sunday night. Army columns have also been deployed in Ropar to plug a breach in a canal, which threatens to flood neighbouring villages.

At Araji Sabran village of Ferozepur district, 44 persons, including women and children were evacuated from the affected areas.
In a major effort, Army engineers also helped in preventing the breach of Sirhind canal by repairing the embankment, thereby preventing the flooding of Doraha village in Punjab and nearby areas.

“The Army is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the civil administration and all the stakeholders. The Army is continuing to provide all assistance to help mitigate the hardship being faced by the citizens in affected areas,” it said.
Western Command authorities said Army is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the civil administration and all the stakeholders.

Notably, rains battered many parts of Punjab and Haryana for the third consecutive day on Monday causing flooding at many places, as authorities worked towards shifting people to safer places.
SGPC extends helping hand

Chandigarh: As incessant showers battered many parts of Punjab for the third day in a row on Monday, flooding many places, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) gave direction to all gurdwaras under its management to extend all possible help to the affected people.

SGPC president H S Dhami issued directions to all gurdwaras under SGPC management to ensure ‘langar’ and stay facility, if necessary, to the flood affected people.

Notably, Mohali, Rupnagar, Patiala, SBS Nagar are among the worst-hit districts. In case of need for any medical aid or clothes, that will also provided, Dhami said.

He said SGPC members have also been directed to extend whatever help they can in their respective areas, affected by the heavy rains.
Meanwhile, in the worst-hit Rupnagar district, along with the authorities, many people volunteered to extend a helping hand to those in need.

“It is the indomitable spirit of Punjabis to rise to the occasion whenever any crisis confronts them by helping each other,” said Parminder Singh, who was reaching out to many people in Rupnagar district who have been affected by the flood situation.

At some places in Rupnagar and elsewhere in other affected areas, volunteers could be seen moving around in tractors as rain waters had filled roads in residential colonies or even entered the houses. They carried food packets, drinking water and other essential items with them and handed over to people who were holed inside their houses. In a residential society in Derabassi in Mohali district, where water breached one of the outer walls of the society and entered the compound on Sunday, some volunteers lend a helping hand in evacuating people.