To take stock of the situation due to continuous heavy rains across the state and in hilly places and to speed up the relief work in the state, Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma on Monday chaired a high level meeting with the administrative secretaries of the concerned departments and the Deputy Commissioners and SSPs of all the districts through video conferencing.

Verma, during the meeting also attended by the Special Chief Secretary to Chief Minister A Venu Prasad, DGP Gaurav Yadav, and the representatives of the Army and NDRF, said that the Civil and Police Administration of the districts have been promptly deployed in the field, including the DCs, SSPs, SDMs, Tehsildars, BDPOs, Patwari besides field officers of respective departments are involved too.

He said that field officers should maintain constant contact with public representatives and the common people. He said that there is no dearth of funds to deal with the current situation and Rs 33.50 Crore has been released immediately from the disaster relief fund of the state.

Verma insisted that human lives are the most precious and saving them is the top priority. “Thus, priority should be given to the safe evacuation of people from low-water areas and flood-prone areas and people should also be made aware,” he said.

The Food and Civil Supplies Department was asked to prepare food packets if needed. Necessary government funds should be used in coordination with religious and social organizations for this work. Verma asked the Power and Telecom Department to ensure uninterrupted continuity of its services. The Water Supply Department should also ensure the provision of clean drinking water to the people, while the Health Department should be prepared to fight waterborne diseases.

The Chief Secretary also asked for the immediate release of funds for chlorine tablets. Animal Husbandry Department was asked to make advance arrangements to protect livestock from diseases. The Rural Development and Panchayat and Local Government Departments were asked to be ready to help the people in cities and villages.

The Chief Secretary took stock of the field situation in which the Deputy Commissioners of SAS Nagar, Patiala, Rupnagar, and Sangrur said that the situation is serious in some places in their districts, but the Administration is working promptly. The Chief Secretary told all the districts that the assistance required should be brought to his notice.

NDRF Commandant said that 14 NDRF teams were deployed in Punjab. In Rupnagar, four teams are now deployed, on the request of the Deputy Commissioner. Instructions were also given to deploy another team.

The Chief Secretary spoke to the Commissioners of all the Municipal Corporations and reviewed the status of the corporation cities. He said that it should be ensured that necessary services are provided to the residents of the cities.

The districts of Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, and Moga, where the situation is still under full control, have been asked to monitor the situation by making advance arrangements as the water level in the rivers is rising due to rains in the hilly areas. Similarly, given the current situation, continuous communication is being maintained with the Army.

Drinking Water Supply Situation From Kajauli Water Works Reviewed

Chief Secretary Anurag Verma, chairing another meeting of the officers of Punjab Government, the representatives of the Army and NDRF and Chandigarh Administration, took stock of the situation arisen due to damaged drinking water pipes at Kajauli Water Works in wake of continuous rains.

The Chief Secretary asked the officers to personally visit the site and submit a detailed report to him. It was informed in the meeting that drinking water is provided daily to Tricity through the Kajauli water works from Bhakra main line.

Out of the five pipes with a total capacity of 120 million gallons per day, one belonging to the Punjab Water Supply Department was damaged while other belonging to the Chandigarh Administration was completely damaged. Both the pipes have a capacity of 20 million gallons each per day.

Verma said that even though one of the pipelines in Chandigarh has been completely damaged, keeping in mind the public interest, adequate water should be given to Chandigarh from the available water so that the people do not face any problems. Providing adequate drinking water to Chandigarh, Mohali, and Chandimandir is the top priority of the government, he said.

The Chief Secretary asked the Commissioner of Municipal Corporation Chandigarh that as long as the water supply is low, MC Chandigarh should ensure water supply to Chandimandir from the share of Chandigarh water so that the officers and soldiers of the Army located at the headquarters of the Western Command of the Indian Army have no problem. Along with this, the repair work of the completely damaged water pipe should be done on a war footing.

Verma also asked the Principal Secretary, Water Resources, to visit the Kajauli Water Works site along with the Army and NDRF teams and instructed them to install sandbags for water management and to reduce the water level so that there is no problem in the repair work of the damaged pipes. He asked the Rupnagar District Administration to do this work on a priority basis.

Water Level in Dams, Reservoirs Comfortable

During the meeting, the Water Resources Department informed the Chief Secretary about the state of reservoirs across the State. The water level in Bhakra Dam is 1614.89 feet against the capacity of 1680 feet. Similarly, the water level in Pong Dam is 1350.63 feet against the capacity is 1390 feet, while the water level in Ranjit Sagar Dam is 1706.26 feet against the capacity is 1731.99 feet.

Meanwhile, the water level in Ghaggar and Sultej reported a decline. The Ghaggar at Bhankhapur (near Dera Bassi) shows that the level was 11,555 cusecs — which is lower than Sunday’s water level that had crossed the danger mark.

In Sutlej river also, the water has receded from 1.79 lakh cusecs at Ropar headworks to 94,000 cusecs on Monday morning. However, the river reported a rise in water level on its way to Phillaur and then Harike Pattan. The authorities have recorded 47,309 cusecs water level at Harike Pattan in the morning against 40,531 cusecs on Sunday evening.

In the state’s Ujh river, the water flow also reduced from over 95,000 cusecs on Sunday evening to 17,390 cusecs on Monday morning.

Power Affected

Three power grids — IT City, Chandiala in Landran, and Mohi Kalan near Rajpura — remained down since Sunday, plunging vast areas in Mohali, Zirakpur, and Landran areas into darkness. Residents in parts of Aero City, IT City, Sector 109, Sector-105, Kharar remained without power for more than 40 hours. PSPCL officials said that the IT City grid is down due to flooding in Banur area, while Mohi Kalan grid in field areas of Rajpura is inundated with rain, similarly with the Chandiala grid in Landran.

Holidays Declared in Schools, Colleges Till Jul 13

Punjab Government has declared holidays in its schools and colleges till July 13. Earlier, the Government had announced a holiday for Monday in view of the rain situation in the State. The state’s Education Minister Harjot Bains, in a tweet, said: “Due to continuous rains, it has been decided that all the government, aided and private schools will remain closed till July 13.”

PPCC Launches Helpline Numbers for Flood-Hit Areas

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) on Monday launched helpline numbers for people affected by the recent floods in several parts of Punjab. The helpline numbers are : 89682-15758 and 82880-25875.

Extending complete support to those affected with the incessant rains and floods in Punjab, PPCC president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said that the helpline numbers launched for the residents will be available 24x7 and will be staffed by party workers, supporters and closely monitored by the leadership. People can call the helpline numbers to seek assistance with food, shelter, medical care, rescue and other essential services.

BOX

·         Two teenagers, including a boy in Pojewal and a girl in Khoja, reported to have died after being swept away in Nawanshahr

·         Water from Sultej river overflowed in some villages of Phillaur, which were later evacuated

·         Punjab Police Academy (PAP), Phillaur, situated along the Sutlej river, inundated

·         Buddha Nullah and Sutlej river in Ludhiana on the spate

·         Doraha canal overflows in Ludhiana after a breach was reported in Siswan canal in Chamkaur Sahib area

·         Halluwal village of Garhshankar inundated with three-four feet water owing to Kandi canal breach

·         Travelling between Jalandhar and Chandigarh becomes risky along stretches in Banga, Balachaur, and Ropar villages as areas along Banga highway submerged in water

·         Situation worse along highway in Nawanshahr. Vehicles have got turned due to water pressure

·         Max hospital light point in Mohali to Ranimajra road blocked after a portion of it got washed away