60-odd two-wheelers of farmers buried 6-8 ft deep in sludge

The perennially debt-ridden residents hailing from the cluster of seven ‘Us-Paar’ villages, located across the Ravi river, suffered another setback when they woke up to find more than 60 of their two-wheelers buried 6-8 feet under the sludge and silt of the river. The area adjoins Pakistan. The fury of the floods was the worst in this cluster in the entire district of Gurdaspur.

Locals have now formed teams, which have started digging at various places, in an attempt to trace more such bikes and scooters. A pick-up van, too, has gone missing.

These were parked at Makoran Pattan village on one side and the edge of the ‘Us-Paar’ cluster on the other. In-between flows the Ravi.

Today morning, Harvinder Singh of Lasian village went to the site where he had left his motorcycle when he spotted the first signs of the flood, five days ago. Notwithstanding repeated efforts, he could not locate it. It seemed it had simply vanished into thin air.

However, he started digging through the mud. After five hours of struggle, his hands touched a metal piece. The poor man’s heart sank when he identified the piece of the metal as a part of his motorcycle.

This caused him deep anguish because his bike, taken on loan, was a repository of memories, emotions and connection to people and places. The bike also held immense sentimental value because his late mother was willing to pawn her gold anklets for him to buy the machine. That was before a money lender gave him money at an exorbitant rate of interest. “I am feeling empty, hopeless and am in mourning,” he said.

Harvinder is not alone. All other owners are under debt and are now devastated.

They have taken substantial cash-credit limits from banks. Besides, they have availed loans to buy tractors, implements and milch cattle. They are already in the deadly grip of Ahartiyas (money-lenders), having taken money at 24 percent interest per annum.

“If I default on my bank-payment, my CIBIL (credit-score) score will fall drastically. This means misery for me and my family. We, villagers, live on mortgages, advances and credit. If we do not avail a loan for our next crop, we will not be able to survive. Already, my three acres of paddy crop has been flattened. All my cattle have died. And now my motorcycle, too, has died,” said Lakhwinder Singh of Rajpur Chebe village.

Amrik Singh, sarpanch of Bharial village, is fortunate. He spotted the handle of his bike and pulled it out of the mud and slush. However, Dalwinder Singh of Lassian village, who drives a pick-up van, is crestfallen. Despite repeated efforts by several people, he has yet to trace his van.

While locals have started digging, people who cannot find their bikes surround them to see if their bike comes out of the mud or not.