VIP visits ‘delay’ rescue, 10,000 stuck in Fazilka

Frequent visits by politicians are “delaying” relief and rescue operations in flood-hit Fazilka areas even as the Sutlej water entered a dozen more villages, said local residents on Saturday.

Thirty-two villages, especially at least 10 situated near the India-Pakistan border across the river, have been inundated, according to officials.

Awaiting relief

According to an estimate, 10,000 to 12,000 people are still stuck in about 10 villages falling across Fazilka’s Kawanwali bridge. The flood-hit villages have been visited by Ministers Tarunpreet Singh Sond and Gurmeet Singh Khudian in the past two days

Meanwhile, continuous rainfall since Saturday morning slowed down the operations being run from the Kawanwali bridge with the help of boats in the absence of road connectivity.

The bridge, constructed over the Sutlej around 10 km from Fazilka town, is the only connecting link with the villages located across the river.

After it was closed for commuting four days ago, the administration launched the rescue operation with the help of boats.

According to an estimate, 10,000 to 12,000 people are still stuck in about 10 villages falling across the Kawanwali bridge, which has submerged in the floodwater.

Punjab Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond interacted with flood-hit villagers falling across the bridge for five hours from 12 noon to 5 pm on Friday. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) boats took him and other senior officers to the villagers, who are confined to their homes.

The administration said Sond got relief material distributed among the flood-hit in his presence. The officers had to accompany him due to official protocol. “The boats remained busy in ferrying VIPs leaving the affected villagers high and dry,” said Manpreet Singh of Hasta Kala village.

Sond said over 2,000 people had been rescued from the affected villages so far in the past four days. He said 662 people were shifted to eight relief camps. Sond said 3,835 ration kits were distributed among villagers.

When the correspondent visited the area, it was noticed that the police had laid a naka about 1 km behind the bridge and only select persons were allowed to go there. Immediately after Sond returned, state Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, along with his entourage, reached the bridge and the road was blocked again.

Punjab Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian also visited Ghurka village. Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Mandeep Kaur said two more NDRF teams with eight boats were pressed into the service on Saturday.

She said the district administration might set up a control room at the Kawanwali bridge to coordinate with the NGOs.