Punjab deluge: 6,600 rescued; all-terrain vehicles out in Amritsar
Punjab is witnessing its worst floods, some say, since 1988, with the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers inundating large tracts of farmlands and villages.
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People with their cattle wade through a waterlogged area in Kapurthala, Thursday. (PTI)More than 6,600 people have been evacuated from several areas flooded in Punjab, officials said on Thursday, even as a minister made an urgent plea to the Centre to accord the rain-ravaged state a special package.
As the flooding worsened in many areas, the Amritsar administration deployed amphibious all-terrain off road-ATOR vehicles and boats for evacuating those stranded in the Ramdas area.
An ATOR vehicle is designed to move through water and rugged terrain.
The Gurdaspur authorities flew a drone to deliver medicines, dry ration, water bottles to affected people in Dera Baba Nanak, said officials.
Meanwhile, it was announced that CM Mann, his cabinet colleagues, and party MLAs will donate their one-month salary towards relief and rescue efforts.
Punjab is witnessing its worst floods, some say, since 1988, with the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers inundating large tracts of farmlands and villages.
Heavy rain over days in Himachal Pradesh and J&K sent these three rivers in spate.
Villages in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar are the worst-affected.
According to a statement by Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Dr Himanshu Aggarwal and Advisor to Punjab Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department Deepak Bali, the 6,600 rescued were housed in 88 relief camps.
As per statement, in all, 835 villages have been impacted by floods. Of 6,600 people evacuated, 2,007 were rescued from Ferozepur, 2,200 from Gurdaspur, 1,100 from Pathankot, 220 from Kapurthala, 1,052 from Hoshiarpur, and 20 from Moga.
Mann conducted a tour of the flooded areas and was briefed by the officials on the damage due to floods. Water Resources Minister Barinder Kumar Goyal came down heavily on the Centre and neighbouring states, alleging that a few months ago when it was about diverting Punjab’s water, every law and regulation was “conveniently set aside to exploit the state’s share.” Yet now, when Punjab is in dire need of support, no one is stepping forward to help, he alleged. — PTI Inputs
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