All MPs and MlAs of Punjab belonging to Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP on Saturday decided to donate one-month salary towards relief and rehabilitation measures for the victims and their families affected by Uttarakhand floods.
A spokesman of the Punjab Government said that a dedicated fleet of over 200 buses, including over a 150 drawn from various Government departments, including the Punjab Police, are plying round-the-clock for evacuation and safe transit of the pilgrims and others being evacuated from various far-flung flood-affected areas.
Meanwhile, several buses carrying more than 1,000 pilgrims arrived at different points in the State on Saturday.
These pilgrims are being taken to the district headquarters of their respective places.
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had directed all the Deputy Commissioners in the State to ensure that the passengers are not made to wait at district headquarters and immediately send them to their villages and towns in specially-commissioned cars and other vehicles taxing from district headquarters to the interiors in that district.
Giving details of the buses arriving since Saturday morning, the spokesperson said that four buses each arrived at Patiala & ludhina and three each at Chandigarh & Amritsar and two each at Bathinda, Faridkot and Sangrur District Headquarters.
The Chief Minister emphasised that at this critical juncture the main job and mission of the State Government was to swiftly evacuate maximum number of pilgrims first from affected areas Gobindghat and Joshimath to Rishikesh using Punjab Government’s mini buses, taxis and then further from Rishikesh to various places in Punjab.
He said that the State had already pressed into service 100 mini buses and taxies besides 150 buses besides 10 ambulances equipped with all necessary medicine etc under the supervision of senior IAS officers.
Senior IAS officer A Venuparsad is monitoring the entire evacuation operation and camping at Rishikesh. The other officers deputed at Rishikesh include Sumer Singh Gurjar and DIG Khubi Ram.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister called an emergency Cabinet meeting on June 24 to review and expedite relief measures for the hapless victims of the Uttarakhand flood tragedy.