250 people shifted to safer places at Bholath

Kapurthala, August 16

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Over 450 people got stuck at their homes surrounded by the Beas in the mand area at Talwandi Kuka village of Bholath this afternoon.

Of these, 250 people, mainly children and women, were brought to safer places by rescue teams with the help of villagers and local residents. While the Dhussi bundh is still safe, those living on its inner side have been affected.

Deputy Commissioner Capt Karnail Singh said six boats of the Army, SDRF and Punjab Police and local residents had been engaged for bringing people to safer places.

He said a team of the NDRF and another unit of the Army had been sought for deployment in the area as some villages of Kapurthala and Sultanpur Lodhi had also been affected because of the flooded Beas.

The DC said langar and dry ration were being provided at the village gurdwara and the school. The Drainage Department was also ready with sufficient bag of soil to avert any untoward incident. So far, there had been no breach.

Congress MLA Bholath claimed that the flooding was taking place because of a wall of concrete and mud being raised by NHAI contractors near the area for the Delhi-Katra Expressway. He alleged that water was overflowing after hitting this wall, but the administration denied his claims.

“Though we have asked the NHAI to make a cut in the wall, so far it has not been a hindrance as the project is located upstream while the affected village falls downstream,” said the DC. Meanwhile, over 2,500 people have been affected in the Tanda, Mukerian and Talwara areas of Hoshiarpur because of the swollen Beas.