Breach in bundh near Phillaur police academy, 150 relief centres set up

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, July 10

As many as 10 to 15 villages in Phillaur have witnessed flood after a breach in a bundh near the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Police Training Academy at Phillaur.

Nawa Khera Bet, Chhaule, Bajar, Chaan Chakk villages were flooded. At Nawa Khehra Bet village, people shifted to their roofs to spend the night, reluctant to leave houses as their cattle were still stranded.

While 150 relief centres have been set up across the district for the flood-affected, no villager has taken refuge in these.

The district administration got the information of a breach near the academy at Phillaur this morning, which left the academy’s Golf Range under water with cars floating in it. Youths and officials plugged the breach in the afternoon.

However, reluctant to leave their cattle behind, most villagers stayed back at the flooded villages. At some villages, people also said the rescue teams had not reached them.

Meanwhile, evacuation is also a challenge in Jalandhar due to the poor condition of the 85-km-long dhussi bundh.

MP Balbir Singh Seechewal said, “This bundh needs to be pucca. That’s the key issue here. I was the first to raise the issue with the government. Meetings were also held. It’s an estimated Rs 105 crore project, so it’s in the process.”

Seechewal also said over 3 lakh cusecs water had already been released in the Sutlej. He added, “At Phillaur, water level has gone down by 2 feet. Shahkot and Gidderpindi are further downstream, so they are more vulnerable. The focus is on preventing a further breach for which night patrol has begun across the bundh.”

SDM Vikas Hira said, “As many as 150 relief centres have been set up in Jalandhar and a team of the SDRF and NDRF are carrying out relief and rescue operation. For this, 15 boats have been pressed into service.”