INLD MLA visits flood-hit Sirsa villages

INLD MLA Arjun Chautala, who represents the Rania constituency, on Monday visited flood-affected villages in Sirsa district, where the overflowing Ghaggar has caused widespread damage.

Amid heavy rains, the Ghaggar is flowing far above normal levels. It enters Sirsa from Punjab and continues into Rajasthan, passing through areas such as Sirsa, Rania, and Ellenabad.

Many villages located along its embankments are currently submerged or severely impacted. To assess the situation first-hand, Chautala travelled to flood-hit villages with a convoy of 12 vehicles.

In areas where roads were too damaged or waterlogged for cars to pass, he used tractors and other local transportation means to reach affected villages.

Chautala said the Ghaggar had overflowed and broken embankments near several villages including Kirarkot, Mallewala, Buddhabhana, Jhorar Nali, Nejadela Khurd, Firozabad, and Chamal.

This had led to major crop loss — nearly 3,000-acre farmland had been submerged, he claimed. In Nayak Dhani alone, at least 25 houses belonging to poor families have been damaged.

Other areas such as 400 Dhani and Limba Dhani also faced significant destruction. In villages such as Jodhpuria, Daria, and Dhotar, another 200 acres were damaged due to broken drains. In many villages, rainwater is still standing, making recovery difficult.

Had raised issue in Assembly several times: Chautala

Speaking during his visit to a flood-affected area, Chautala attributed the extent of the damage to two main issues: the lack of timely cleaning and dredging of the Ghaggar; and the failure to build additional drainage channels despite repeated demands from locals, and elected representatives. Chautala said he had raised the issue multiple times in the Assembly, warning that, during the monsoons, the Ghaggar witnessed heavy water flow.

Due to weak embankments, the river flooded easily, causing serious damage to nearby areas, he said, adding that many villages in Rania still lacked proper drinking water, and excess monsoon water could have been redirected to these areas if proper channels were built.

“This way, we could solve two problems at once: Provide water where it is needed, and stop villages from flooding,” he said. “But the government has ignored this issue completely.”

‘₹9 crore spent on wall, villages still flooded’

Chautala criticised the previous BJP government (under the leadership of former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar). He said around Rs 9 crore was spent on building a flood-protection wall in Jhorar Nali, yet over 1,200 acres there were underwater, and embankments had collapsed.

“Where did the Rs 9 crore go?” Chautala said. “Would it really have cost Rs 9 crore just to build a wall? That money could have been used to clean and deepen the entire stretch of the Ghaggar, and the nearby drains. If that had been done, this disaster might have been avoided.”

Leader rues ‘lack of government support’

As the local MLA, and with support from his party, Chautala is coordinating relief work on the ground.

District Council Chairman and his brother Karan Chautala has released Rs 30 lakh from an emergency fund to help affected people.

INLD youth volunteers are setting up langars in the worst-hit areas. They are also helping villagers reinforce weak embankments with sandbags and other material.

Chautala expressed disappointment that the government had not provided any funds directly to MLAs to support flood victims. “Even after such huge losses, the government hasn’t given a single rupee to local representatives so we can help the people more effectively,” he said.