Punjab Government on Sunday claimed that most of the flood-affected villages are fast approaching near normalcy, with all the concerned departments working 24X7 under the Chief Minister’s personal guidance on a comprehensive multi-pronged strategy.
“With Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh himself monitoring the operations on a day-to-day basis, power has now been completely restored, with work in full swing to repair the ravaged roads, amid continuous on-ground operations to assess damage and check outbreak of disease, across all the flood-hit areas,” said the government spokesperson.
Spokesperson said that a 25,000-strong multi-department workforce is working round the clock, on the ground, to meet the stringent deadlines set by the Chief Minister to complete the relief, rehabilitation and restoration tasks.
With pumping operations in progress on a war footing, inundated villages are being cleared of water, while connectivity has been restored in 14 of the 20 villages cut off from land completely in the initial deluge in Sultanpur Lodhi sub-division.
However, six villages — Mand Inderpur, Mand Andrissa, Shahwala Andrissa, Kutubwal, Shahwala Nakki and Ramgarh Daleli — are still cut off.
“The Punjab Mandi Board’s road from Village Darewal (in District Jalandhar) - Mand Inderpur – Village Maanu Machchi (District Ferozepur) is breached at three places (one of 900 feet length and two of 200 feet length each) which is leading to the situation,”said the spokesperson adding that the Chief Minister has asked the Mandi Board to expedite the restoration of the link road.
“While most of the breaches along the flooded rivers have been plugged, medical teams are out to provide preventive care against diseases in every village. Thousands of personnel are working day and night to undertake water sampling, outdoor and indoor spray, water chlorination, fever survey, card tests for timely detection of malaria and dengue, distribution of sanitary napkins and mosquito nets,” said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson said that preliminary damage to life and property has been assessed. “Free seed distribution to the affected farmers has started and compensation distribution under various heads is also on. Girdawari is in progress to assess the crop damage and will be completed at the earliest,” said the spokesperson.
Spokesperson said that the water supply and sanitation department has pressed in water tankers for providing clean and potable drinking water in the villages until the supply through water supply schemes is fully restored. Water testing teams are testing water quality in all the villages to avoid any epidemic outbreak.
Besides water, dry ration kits, sugar, rice, wheat flour, ghee, milk powder are being provided to the people in marooned villages. Seven helicopters of the Indian Army and two MI-17 choppers of Indian Air Force were pressed into service to airdrop of food packets or paranthas, he said.
Repair of damaged infrastructure, including embankments, roads, bridges, culverts and other infrastructure is going on fast track and almost all the breaches in Jalandhar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana have been plugged, the spokesperson said.
Six teams of National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), three teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and six columns of the Indian Army were roped in for rescue operations and plugging of the 18 breaches in river Satluj, with the support of varipus social organisations and local residents, he added.