Residents of 15 villages asked to vacate houses

Deepkamal Kaur

Kapurthala, August 14

Even as there are reports that over 1 lakh cusecs of water has been released from Pong Dam, the Kapurthala administration has asked residents of nearly 15 villages, especially those in the Mand areas, to vacate their homes.

Villagers told to reach relief camps

We have asked the villagers to reach any of the nine relief camps that had already been set up in the district. We have been making announcements through gurdwaras and even sending across messages to the panchayats. We have told them that arrangements for food, fodder of their cattle, medicines, etc., will be available in the camps. Capt Karnail Singh, DC

The floodwater, though reportedly released in a controlled manner, is expected to reach Sultanpur Lodhi by 2:30 pm on Tuesday. The reports of release of water in the Beas have caused a panic among the villagers who are already suffering damages for the past one month.

Punjab Chief Secretary held a meeting with all Deputy Commissioners of Punjab through videoconferencing on the matter.

Deputy Commissioner Capt Karnail Singh said he had asked the villagers to reach any of the nine relief camps that had already been set up in the district.

“We have been making announcements through gurdwaras and even sending across messages to the panchayats. We have told them that arrangements for food, fodder of their cattle, medicines, etc., will be available in the camps,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Singh has said that the lives of residents of his constituency having villages along the Beas had already become difficult. With a threat of more water coming, they were already in a panic mode.

“Officials sitting in AC rooms are out to submerge our villages. If water is being released, they should open more flood gates at Harike. I had even met Principal Secretary Water Resources Krishan Kumar in his office two days ago to discuss the matter,” he said.

The MLA’s team has already been working to plug a 1,200-ft wide gap in advance bundh at Ahli Kalan village wherein he has been using 10-tonne of sandbags to fill up the gap and get the work done quickly. JCBs and poclain machinery have been deployed to lift the bags. With Bhakra dam also filled up to 96 pc of its capacity, residents along the Sutlej are also worried. Already 15 pumping machines have been deployed by Balbir S Seechewal and his volunteers in the waterlogged low-lying villages of Lohian to siphon off the floodwater back into the river after the recent plugging of two breaches in Dhussi bundh.