Army steps up rescue ops as 835 villages remain flooded
Jalandhar/Kapurthala, Aug. 29 -- Punjab is grappling with one of its worst flood crises in recent years as incessant monsoon rains have caused rivers to swell, inundating 835 villages across the state. The deluge has led to the evacuation of nearly 6,600 people, with the administration and the Indian Army working round-the-clock to conduct rescue and relief operations.
The Punjab government has established a state-level flood control room at Jalandhar's Circuit House. Jalandhar deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal, nodal officer of the flood control room, said 202 villagers are affected by floods in Gurdaspur district, followed by 107 in Kapurthala, 93 in Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur 85 and 81 in Pathankot district.
Aggarwal added that 64 villagers in Muktsar district have been impacted due to floods, 45 in Tarn Taran, 20 each in Fazilka and Barnala districts, 22 in Sangrur, three in SBS Nagar, 11 in Mansa, two in Rupnagar and one each in Fatehgarh Sahib and Malerkotla districts. "At least 6,600 people from flood-hit areas have been shifted to 88 relief camps established in these districts and other safer locations," he said.
Among the evacuees, 2,007 people hail from Ferozepur district, 2,200 from Gurdaspur, 1,100 from Pathankot, 1,052 from Hoshiarpur, 220 from Kapurthala and 20 from Moga.
"We have been monitoring the rescue and relief operations. The initiative aims to ensure timely delivery of relief measures to the affected population. Every possible effort is being made to ease the hardships of people during this crisis," Aggarwal said.
The government has urged people still trapped in flood-affected areas to contact state control room number 0181-2240064 for assistance.
The situation in Kapurthala district has worsened due to the swelling of the Beas to unprecedented levels, with water flow reaching 2.31 lakh cusecs on Thursday. Kapurthala deputy commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal ordered immediate evacuations in vulnerable villages. Army has been deployed on the ground to support rescue operations and deliver relief materials.
Congress MLA Pargat Singh said: "The central government must immediately declare the floods in Punjab, HP and J&K as a national disaster. A special package is needed for full compensation and rehabilitation of affected families, farmers, and livestock owners."
The army has launched extensive humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations across flood-affected regions including Jammu, Mamun, Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Ferozepur.
A total of 28 Army columns, including medical and communication teams, have been deployed to provide ground support, evacuation assistance, restoration of connectivity, and medical aid, according to a defence spokesperson. Army aviation assets, including three Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and nine Cheetah helicopters, have carried out challenging winching and hovering operations, rescuing numerous stranded civilians from rooftops and flooded areas, the spokesperson said. So far, 1,211 civilians have been evacuated, including 11 Punjab government officials stranded at Madhopur Barrage and 180 personnel from the Provincial Armed Constabulary.
The Indian Air Force on Thursday rescued 190 more persons and airdropped 6,750 kg of relief material in the affected areas....
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