BJP leader slams AAP govt as flood-hit villagers sought Governor’s intervention

BJP Punjab spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal said on Wednesday that the AAP government had completely failed the people of the state in their hour of crisis, forcing helpless villagers to directly write to the Governor, seeking intervention.

Baliawal revealed that panchayats of Sasrali Colony and adjoining villages, including Boothgarh, Gaunsgarh, Gadhapur, Raur, Managat, Hawas, Khwajke, Mangli Tanda, Mangli Khas, Garhi Togada, Garhi Fazil, Garhi Shero, Shekhowal, Kasabaad, Jeewanpur, Dheri, Bajra, Sattowal, Seera, Churwal, Macchiana Kala and others had written a letter to the Governor, appealing for immediate deployment of the Army and expert teams to repair the collapsed embankments of the Sutlej River near Sasrali, which had unleashed devastation across Ludhiana district.

The letter highlights that despite repeated requests, the breach at Dhussi Bandh has not been repaired and the river continues to swallow fertile lands, crops, tubewells, houses and decades of hard-earned livelihoods. Villagers have warned that mere dumping of sandbags was futile without proper engineering design and an Army-level intervention. Their appeal to the Governor reflects the desperation and total abandonment they feel under the current state government.

Slamming the AAP Government, Baliawal said, “When ordinary villagers are left with no hope from their government and are forced to write to the Governor for survival, it is the ultimate proof of governance collapse. People are helplessly watching their ancestral lands and lifetime savings being washed away, while AAP leaders indulge in shameless propaganda.”

He further pointed out that the Disaster Management Minister, who was from the Sahnewal constituency, had remained invisible in his own district even as villages were drowning. “This is not just incompetence—it is betrayal,” he added.

He demanded that the Punjab Government immediately call in the Army and expert hydrology teams for permanent embankment repairs and flood-control measures. He also appealed to the Governor to directly intervene and ensure that the suffering villagers received protection, relief and rehabilitation.

Authorities take measures to mitigate flood risk

After villagers in Sasrali Colony raised concerns regarding water entering fields, multiple measures were taken by the authorities concerned to safeguard the area.

As per a statement released, a cunette was dug on the Jalandhar-side to divert water towards the opposite bank. Besides, dredging along the edge of an island inside river on the Ludhiana-side was undertaken to divert the flow of water away from the edge. Three major contractors were also shifted to the Sasrali site and were asked to work round the clock at different points to secure it. We have been able to control the site today to a certain extent, said an official press release.

The major change has been that locals are now cooperating with department at the site for carrying out technical activities. Massive mobilisation of skilled drainage labour is planned in the next two days, say officials.

A long term solution to the issue is undertaking de-silting on a massive scale from the Jalandhar-side.