50 hutments along Chitti Bein marooned

The overflowing Chitti Bein and incessant rainfall in Jalandhar has started wreaking havoc all across the areas near Nakodar.

The worst affected are about 50 families of migrants and daily workers, who made embankments of the Chitti Bein as their permanent residence for the past nearly two decades. Passersby along the Jalandhar-Nakodar road would often spot their hutments moving past the bridge of the rivulet.

But today all their hutments (both in concrete and temporay structures) and their TV dishes were submerged in six to eight feet flood waters.

Jyoti, an occupant, said, "It was on Sunday night that the rivulet got flooded all of a sudden. We hardly had any time to take out our belongings to safer locations. While we managed to take away our essentials, a lot of stuff is in waters for the past over 35 hours. It was not easy for us to watch our homes in waters".

The said they had been shifted to safer locations. Some have gone to a relief camp in government school at Muddh village, there are others who are putting up in adjoining grain markets. Pushpa, who too has been displaced, watched her house from the bridge trying to assess how much more water had entered her house.

"We came here about two decades ago. We are originally from Pune in Maharashtra. We were residing in Rama Mandi here earlier. It was a Congress leader from Nakodar who suggested us that we could occupy land here and set up our small hutments. Since then we are here earning our daily bread with whatever odd jobs that we get", she said.

Suresh, a local leader from the same community, said, "Our families have remained safe. There have been floods earlier too. But never has there been so much devastation."

Thanks to residents of the adjoining areas, including residents of Eldeco society, and villagers from Kang Sabu who have come to their rescue and have been providing them all meals and required essentials.