Archit Watts
Tribune News Service
Muktsar, July 21
After The Tribune highlighted the plight of farmers of Pakki Tibbi village (‘Fields inundated, dept awaits funds for water-lifting pumps’, July 21), Muktsar Deputy Commissioner MK Aravind Kumar and other senior officials visited the flooded fields and immediately released Rs 4 lakh to install more water-lifting pumps. He ordered to speed up the drainage work.
Those who accompanied Deputy Commissioner included SDM, Malout, Gopal Singh, District Development and Panchayats Officer (DDPO) Arun Kumar, Executive Engineers Upkaran Pal Singh and Amarjit Gupta.
A spokesperson for the district administration said the Deputy Commissioner directed the Drainage Department officials to install more water-lifting pumps and drain out the water from fields so that the farmers could sow the paddy crop again. Besides, he directed the Power Department officials to install more electricity transformers so that the supply to these water-lifting pumps remains uninterrupted.
Meanwhile, the team of the district administration also inspected the drain passing from Pakki Tibbi, Sarawan Bodla, Kattianwali, Bhagwanpura and some other neighbouring villages, which often overflows.
A senior official of the Drainage Department said, “The DC has released Rs 4 lakh for drainage works in Pakki Tibbi village. Besides, nearly Rs 7 lakh will be released within a short period under the disaster relief fund. Presently, eight water-lifting pumps are working in the village to dewater the fields. The number of water-lifting pumps will be increased in a day or two.”
The rain on July 3 had inundated the fields in this village located on the Malout-Abohar national highway.