Six Punjab villages still cut off in Sultanpur Lodhi

Chandigarh: As most of the flood-affected villages in Punjab are on the path to normalcy, connectivity has been restored with 14 of the 20 villages cut off completely in the initial deluge in Sultanpur Lodhi sub-division of Kapurthala district.

Six villages that are still cut off include: Mand Inderpur, Mand Andrissa, Shahwala Andrissa, Kutubwal, Shahwala Nakki and Ramgarh Daleli.

The Punjab Mandi Board’s road from Darewal village in Jalandhar district and Mand Inderpur-Maanu Machchi in Ferozepur is breached at three places. One breach is 900-foot-long and two are 200-foot-long each. Chief minister Amarinder Singh has asked the mandi board to expedite the restoration of the link road.

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, said a state government spokesperson.

He added that a 25,000-strong multi-department force 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. Most of the breaches along the flooded rivers have been plugged, medical teams are providing preventive care.

“The 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. 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 schemes is fully restored. Seven helicopters of the Indian Army and two MI-17 choppers of Indian Air Force were pressed into service to airdrop food packets,” he added.

The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has restored power supply in all the 21 flood-hit villages of Jalandhar and 87 villages of Sultanpur Lodhi. The 66KV Mehrajwala electricity substation, which was submerged, is back in operation. Almost all the breaches in Jalandhar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana have been plugged. Six teams of the 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 the Satluj, with the support of various social organisations and local residents.

Pumping operations are in progress on a war footing. As many as 21,208 people have been treated in OPDs. Dedicated teams are working to detect dengue larva in flood-hit villages. Special teams are visiting villages to teach the people about measures to prevent diseases like malaria, dengue, diarrhoea, typhoid and skin problems, said the spokesperson. Veterinary teams are also out for the treatment and vaccination of the affected cattle and to make provisions for fodder.