Rain havoc: Relief measures going on war footing in Punjab and Haryana

After incessant rains for the past three days wreaking havoc in Punjab and Haryana, relief measures are in full swing and is being undertaken on a war footing on Wednesday (July 12).

Several parts of Punjab and Haryana were flooded in the rains and the heavy rainfall has left behind a trail of destruction with properties worth crores obliterated and farmlands flooded.

The weather however remained clear on Wednesday at most places for the second day in the region.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is set to visit the worst-hit Ambala district on Wednesday to take stock of the situation, officials said.

In Punjab, nearly 10,000 people have so far been evacuated in Patiala, Rupnagar, Moga, Ludhiana, Mohali, SBS Nagar and Fatehgarh Sahib districts, they said.

According to government data, the death toll due to rain-related incidents in the two states is 15, which include seven deaths in Haryana. Relief measures are going on a war footing in the affected areas of the two states, officials said.

Also read: Monsoon mayhem: Death toll mounts to 15 in Punjab, Haryana; 9 killed in Uttarakhand

Haryana’s deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala also took stock of the situation in Ambala district on Wednesday. Driving a tractor, he met the affected people who apprised him of the huge loss to property and crops caused by the floods.

Chautala assured them of extending all possible help in this hour of crisis. He also held a meeting with the officials concerned and gave them appropriate directions to tide over the situation.

Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is also expected to be visiting some of the flood-affected areas in Haryana on Wednesday.

Extensive damage to crops and vegetables

The incessant downpour has inundated houses and caused extensive damage to crops and vegetables in many districts. Ambala, Yamunangar, Kurukshetra, Patiala, Rupnagar, Jalandhar, SBS Nagar, Mohali are some of the affected districts in the two states.

The overflowing Yamuna river on Tuesday inundated vast tracts of farm land in Karnal district. The government has set up relief shelters in several districts in the two states.

Also read: Flood warning in Delhi after Haryana discharges water from Hathnikund barrage

The chief ministers of the two states are closely monitoring the situation, officials said.
State disaster management teams, NDRF and various government departments with help of the army have been engaged in relief and rescue operation.

Khattar had on Tuesday directed administrative secretaries in charge of flood-affected districts to rush to the areas assigned to them and oversee the relief work.

Punjab chief secretary Anurag Verma also held a high-level meeting on Tuesday to review the rain damage and orchestrate relief work in the affected areas. The state has also constituted Rapid Response Teams and appointed nodal officers to supervise the ongoing flood relief operations. Permanent medical camps have been established at areas highly affected by floods, officials added.

(With input from agencies)