Raghav Chaddha takes stock of Punjab's flood-hit regions, distributes relief kit and ration

Chandigarh, Aug 29 (IANS) As various districts of Punjab struggle to deal with monsoon deluge on the back of incessant rains, Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chaddha on Friday visited many parts of the flood-hit regions and took stock of the ground situation.  

The AAP lawmaker, elected to the Rajya Sabha from the Punjab Assembly in 2022, visited different parts of Gurdaspur and Dinanagar districts to get a first-hand account of the disruption due to floods. He met many flood-affected families and also assured them all possible support, as well as the people of the state.

The Rajya Sabha MP also took to his social media handle, shared pictures of submerged farmlands and also gave an account of how he and his team worked for long hours to mitigate people’s woes by distributing relief and ration kits.

“We distributed relief kits and rations, and assured people that repair and rehabilitation work will be taken up,” he wrote on X.

He further informed, “I will also be allocating funds from my MPLADS fund for the preparation of flood safety measures in vulnerable areas and towards relief work in affected villages.”

Notably, several districts in Punjab are reeling under a flood crisis due to swollen water levels in the Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers. Large tracts of agricultural land and villages have been inundated with water. Some videos of devastation in Pathankot due to swollen rivers also circulated on social media, igniting a feeling of fear and trepidation among the netizens.

While many families have lost their homes due to relocation to higher reaches, livelihoods have seen major disruptions.

The worst-affected districts are Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Amritsar, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar. Gurdaspur, in particular, has been severely affected by floods, with evacuation operations going on a war footing. Thousands of stranded people have been taken to safer places, with the Indian Army, BSF, NDRF, SDRF, along with Punjab Police and volunteers, evacuating thousands of people from flood-hit areas.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann also visited flood-hit areas in Amritsar recently.

Meanwhile, the cabinet ministers and all the MLAs of the state have pledged to donate their one month’s salary towards flood-relief operations in the state and to offset the immense losses caused due to nature’s fury.

--IANS

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