Army deployed for flood relief in Punjab, Haryana

Based on requisition received from the civil administration of Punjab and Haryana, the Flood Relief columns of Western Command were mobilised to assist the civil administration in rescue and evacuation efforts in flood-affected areas.

The Western Command said in a statement on Monday that immediately on receipt of the requisition for provision of rescue and relief measures, the flood relief reconnaissance party was dispatched to affected areas of Ropar, Mohali and Panchkula.

After assessing the situation on ground, the rescue and relief columns reached the affected areas, the Western Command said in the statement.

The rescue team along with the Army engineer detachments worked throughout the night to evacuate the stranded people and helped to prevent the breaching of canals by the flood waters.

Approximately 50 civilians and 910 students of Chitkara University stranded by the flood waters were evacuated to safe locations.

At Araji Sabran village of Ferozepur district, 44 people, including women and children, were evacuated from the affected areas to safe locations.

In a major effort, the troops of Army engineers helped in preventing the breach of the Sirhind Canal by repairing the embankment, thereby preventing the flooding of Doraha village and nearby areas, it said.

"The Army is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the civil administration and all stakeholders. The Army is continuing to provide all assistance to help mitigate the hardship being faced by the citizens in affected areas," it said.

The Army said requisition for flood relief were received from the Deputy Commissioner of Jalandhar in Shahkot and Lohian blocks, which are located on banks of the Satluj river.

The district administration has deployed its resources in terms of JCBs and manpower for strengthening the embankments using mud and sandbags.