Rain fury: Sultanpur Lodhi MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh booked for breaking 'bundh'

Deepkamal Kaur

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Jalandhar, July 15

The Kapurthala Police have booked Sultanpur Lodhi Independent MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh and several others for allegedly razing a Kali Bein bundh at Bharoana village, using a JCB machine last night.

The MLA claims that the move was aimed at preventing the waters from entering Sultanpur Lodhi. “The flood waters had reached Taraf Hazi, the first village from Sultanpur Lodhi. As many as 16 villages are flooded. The water in these villages is not draining anywhere. Had this bundh not been broken, there would not have been any outlet to the flooded water”.

Defended act

“The flood waters had reached Taraf Hazi, the first village from Sultanpur Lodhi. As many as 16 villages are flooded. The water in these villages is not draining anywhere. Had this bundh not been broken, there would not have been any outlet to the flooded water”. — Rana Inder Partap Singh, MLA

His political rival and Aam Aadmi Party leader Sajjan Singh Cheema had demanded an FIR against the MLA for illegally damaging the bundh.

“There were flood gates installed in Bharoana village from where the flood water was falling in the Bein river and further towards the Beas. By breaking the bundh, the MLA has blocked the road connectivity too from Makhu and other areas of Ferozepur and Sultanpur Lodhi towards Gidderpindi. He has blocked the supply lines of the Army and the NDRF,” alleged Cheema.

The village has flood gates along the bundh, which had been opened since Wednesday. This had led to the receding of the water level in the villages of Shahkot for the past two days.

Rana Inder Partap maintains, “The volume of water passing through these gates was far too low. Ever since the bundh has been broken, the flow of water towards the Kali Bein and the Beas has increased. This has brought a massive relief to villagers.”

Rana Inder Partap Singh is the son of Kapurthala MLA and Congress leader Rana Gurjeet Singh. Both of them were in Canada but junior Rana returned yesterday. On the first day of touring in his constituency, Rana Inder Partap got into action. “I am not worried that an FIR has been lodged against me. This action was the need of the hour. I have taken the action after informing the administration and drainage department officials. I had told them that they should provide me a solution or else he was getting the bundh demolished from the site”, said the MLA.

An FIR has been lodged at Kabirpur Police Station of Kapurthala under Section 70 of the Northern India Canal and Drainage Act, Section 277 (voluntarily fouling the water of any public spring or reservoir), 426 (punishment of mischief) and 430 (mischief by injury to works of irrigation or by wrongfully diverting water) of the IPC.