Admn, police and local groups ramp up flood relief efforts in Kapurthala

Coordinated relief and rehabilitation operations are underway in full swing across Kapurthala district, under the leadership of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Amit Kumar Panchal and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Toora, following the recent flood crisis. Both officers have been personally supervising efforts on the ground, reassuring residents and ensuring timely assistance to flood-affected families.

State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) teams, operating under the direction of the district administration, have been actively evacuating stranded villagers and delivering food, clean drinking water and medical aid to those still residing in submerged homes. During their visits to affected areas, DC Panchal and SSP Toora instructed officials to ensure that no household is left without essential supplies. They emphasised the need for seamless coordination between civil administration, police and disaster response teams.

“The safety and wellbeing of our people is our top priority. Every possible step is being taken to extend timely help, from rescue to rehabilitation,” DC Panchal told villagers.

SSP Toora toured more than a dozen villages and directed police teams to maintain strict vigilance, intensify patrolling and strengthen security arrangements to prevent any law and order issues. The presence of senior officers in flood-hit areas has been widely welcomed, with locals acknowledging that it boosted their morale during the crisis.

In addition to rescue operations, rehabilitation efforts are progressing rapidly in severely affected villages such as Kamewal and Baghuwal. Medical teams from the Health Department are conducting door-to-door check-ups and organising health camps. Residents are being sensitised about the risks of water-borne and mosquito-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, dengue and skin infections. Medicines are being distributed free of cost.

Veterinary teams have also been deployed to treat livestock and distribute animal medicines. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Kapurthala, Major Dr Erwin Kaur, is personally overseeing household-level relief efforts and directing continuous fogging operations to curb the spread of vector-borne diseases.

Support from corporate houses, political leaders and social organisations has further strengthened the ongoing relief drive. THINK Gas has contributed Rs 5 lakh to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, a gesture DC Panchal described as a vital boost to the rehabilitation work being carried out “on a war footing.”

In Sultanpur Lodhi, Rajya Sabha MP Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal provided motor boats to flood-hit villages, terming them essential for mobility in areas where farmland remains submerged under several feet of water.

Community organisations in Phagwara have also stepped forward. Shiv Shakti Mata Mandir (Joshian Mohalla) and Lions International District 321-D distributed ration kits to families in Duggan village. AAP spokesperson and Phagwara constituency in-charge Harnur Singh Mann, who joined the initiative, urged all sections of society to support flood victims, stating that the calamity had been “more devastating than the floods of 1988.”

With the combined efforts of the administration, police, corporate sector, political representatives and local organisations, relief measures are steadily reaching the affected population. Relief camps have been established, emergency helplines remain active and rehabilitation initiatives are expected to continue until normalcy is fully restored.