Flood-hit people complain of not getting adequate relief material in Amritsar

The district administration has urged donors to approach its relief camps to gain prior information as to where relief material can be delivered. The step by the administration comes after flood-hit people in remote villages complained of not getting adequate relief material and accused residents of villages, which had not been affected by the deluge, of stocking up on supplies,

Residents of flood-ravaged villages alleged that they were not getting adequate relief material despite suffering the maximum damage. They alleged that relief material was being ‘grabbed’ by residents of relatively safer villages, which lie ahead and sought priority in treatment.

Standing one and a half kilometres away from Saharan Kasowala village, Jaspal Singh said his village continues to remain submerged and no official has, so far, visited them. Along with his two brothers, he remained stuck over the rooftop of his house for three days. He said their village was situated just 2 km from the border with Pakistan. Now the approach road to the main road stands snapped.

Manpreet Singh and Baba Singh of Pachiyan village said their village neither got any supply of ration nor even a piece of tarpaulin sheet. People possessing kothis (mansions) situated along the highways are stocking ration and turi (hay/chaff).

A native of Sahjade village said he owns 12 buffaloes and has been staying with them out of the house for the past one week. After finding no supply of hay reaching his village Jatta, Mukhwinder Singh guided his cattle out on the road leading to Ramdass town only two days ago.

Rescued from flood-devastated villages, people can be seen camping on roadside with their belongings, refrigerators, bundles of clothes and other material, which they salvaged when the deluge hit their houses.

The overcast sky and continuous rain exacerbate their routine life and hamper delivery of relief material. Even a week after the sudden deluge hit them, they wake up every morning only to rush out to know the water level.

Access to several roads leading to these villages, which fall near the border with Pakistan, and the Ravi are lying broken, disrupting delivery of relief material.

Over the decades, residents of several villages, set up in close proximity to the river, continue to live on the edge of disaster, say experts.

Several villages continue to reel under darkness at night as there has not been any power supply for the past one week. As power infrastructure stands uprooted, PSPCL would need to invest heavily to restore the power supply. Since it will take a long time, people find themselves helpless. Adding to their woes is poor availability of the mobile network.

Skattar Singh of Megha village said there was still three to four feet high water in his village and his family was putting up on the roof. There was no light and he came out to buy milk for his children. After wading through water, he took a lift on a motorcycle to reach Ramdass to buy the same.

Retail business was severely hit as the shops situated on the main roads, leading to the International Border along the Ravi, were found closed and their prospective customers were battling floods. Moreover, floodwaters were still flowing at several points on the Fatehgarh Churian- Ramdas road stretch.

Parminder Singh, a shopkeeper, said, “Business will take a long time to limp back to normalcy as a majority of people from villages spread across Amritsar’s Ramdass to Gurdaspur’s Dera Baba Nanak are unlikely to get their conventional job. The area is known for producing high-quality cauliflower and paddy. Every September, the area starts supplying these perishable fresh farm items to various markets across Punjab and even outside.

DC Sakshi Sawhney and Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Dhaliwal said to ensure that relief material should reach people in distress, the donors should contact the control room at the Chamyari Flood Relief Centre, whose phone number is 62804-00958. Officials at the centre will provide names of the villages where the material needs to be distributed, he said.