Tractors, trolleys serve as rescue vehicles, ambulance amid floods

As Punjab grapples with one of its worst floods in years, inundating over 1,300 villages across the state, it is not the official rescue fleets but farmers’ tractors and trolleys that have emerged as the most reliable lifelines in this time of crisis.

These vehicles have become essential in ferrying people, livestock and relief supplies where no other transport can reach.

Punjab is home to nearly 6.41 lakh tractors, which form the backbone of its agrarian economy. In the flood-affected regions, these machines have taken on a completely different role—acting as rescue carriers, makeshift ambulances and supply vehicles. With large portions of roads submerged under chest-deep water, tractors and trolleys are the only means of mobility.

In flood-hit villages, scenes of tractors loaded with women, children and the elderly navigating flooded streets have become symbols of resilience. Trolleys attached to these tractors are also being used to carry fodder for cattle, drinking water, food grains, and medicines into marooned areas. Youth volunteers, many of whom are untrained but determined, are steering these vehicles through treacherous waters, often working around the clock without expecting recognition.

“Tractors have become the backbone of relief operations. In many villages, evacuation was only possible with tractors and trolleys,” said farmer leader Satnam Singh Sahni.

Ironically, the same vehicles that were once branded as “nuisance machines” on highways and criticised during the farmers’ protests are now being utilised even by state officials. Punjab’s Chief Secretary, KAP Sinha, used a tractor to inspect submerged villages, and ministers and MLAs have also been spotted relying on tractors for mobility in cut-off areas.

“During the agitation, tractors were criticised and removed from protest sites. Today, they are the key to survival in flood-hit zones,” Sahni noted. “Where even boats cannot reach, tractors and trolleys are delivering relief supplies.”

Beyond rescue operations, tractors are being used to transport sandbags to strengthen embankments, helping to seal breaches and prevent further inundation. For villagers struggling to safeguard both human lives and livestock, these machines have proven indispensable.

“If not for tractors, the scale of human and animal loss would have been catastrophic,” said BKU leader Sahni. “The courage of young villagers, working selflessly with tractors and trolleys, has no parallel.”

For decades, tractors have been central to Punjab’s rural identity, often affectionately referred to by farmers as their “sons.” Traditionally used in fields, festivals, and mass protests, their role in this flood crisis has added a new dimension to their legacy. From being agricultural tools and protest symbols, tractors have transformed into essential lifelines—carrying stranded families to safety, delivering critical supplies, and embodying Punjab’s spirit of solidarity against nature’s fury.