Situation grim, BSF jawans trapped: Amritsar MP Aujla

Terming the current arrangements for rescue operations in Ramdass and Ajnala border belt as inadequate, Member of Parliament (MP) from Amritsar Gurjit Aujla today urged the government to step up efforts apart from appealing to the Central government for its immediate intervention.

Speaking to The Tribune, the MP said he had never seen such devastation caused by floods in the Ravi river. He said that the Dhussi Bundhs (earthen embankments) have broken and the situation has become grim. There has been devastation everywhere.

"At present, the priority should be saving the lives of those stranded in the floods," he pointed out.

"Around 360 Border Security Force (BSF) personnel are also trapped in the posts built in Ajnala border belt and they should be rescued immediately," he said. Aujla along with former Ajnala MLA Harpartap Singh Ajnala today visited various villages in the constituency.

They also visited two border out posts (BOPS) — Shahpur and Darya Mansoor — which were completely submerged and the jawans had climbed up at higher places.

“Around 60 BSF jawans are stranded in BOP Darya Mansoor, 50 in Badai Cheema BOP, 32 in Kot Raizada, 40 in Chhanna BOP, 15 in Chhanna Pattan, 80 in Panch Garian, 80 in Dharamshala Niyal Nangal Sodh, nine jawans have climbed the Peer Baba Dargah on Chhanna Road, who went for rescue and got stuck there," he said. Around 5,000 residents were also stranded in Ramdass area.

He said a number of NDRF teams apart from state disaster management teams should be pressed into service while more motor boats were required for the rescue operations.