No loss of human life due to floods reported in last 24 hours: Punjab minister

Chandigarh, Sep 5 (PTI) Punjab Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian on Friday said that no loss of human life was reported in a 24-hour period in the flood-ravaged state, where people have got some reprieve from incessant rains.

The rainfall has subsided in the upper hilly regions as well as in the state, the revenue, rehabilitation and disaster management minister said.

He said according to reports from across the districts, there has been no further rise in the affected population, although some areas of farmland remain submerged.

The minister also said that no fresh loss of human life was reported either.

Forty-three lives have been lost across 14 districts of the state from August 1 to September 4.

Mundian said 21,929 people have been evacuated from marooned areas so far, while 196 relief camps have been set up where 7,108 affected people have taken shelter. The maximum number of 2,548 people have been shifted to camps in Fazilka, followed by Hoshiarpur (1,041), Ferozepur (776) and Pathankot (693).

Overall, 1.72 lakh hectares of farmland have been damaged across 18 districts.

The minister said so far, 1,948 villages in 22 districts have been impacted, affecting a population of 3,84,322.

He said relief-and rescue operations are going on in the flood-hit areas to ensure that people do not face any problem.

Central teams are also visiting Punjab to assess the situation. These teams will submit a report to the Union government.

The teams comprise senior officials from the agriculture, rural development, energy, finance, roads and jal shakti departments and they are assessing the extent of the damage, officials said.

On Friday, a central team visited the flood-affected areas of Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala district.

The members of the team went by boat and interacted with the affected families at Baupur and Sangra. They also inspected the government school in Baupur.

Kapurthala Deputy Commissioner Amit Kumar Panchal gave detailed information to the central team about the damage caused by the floods in the district.

After this, the central team held a meeting with officials at the rest house in Kapurthala and during the deliberations, team received information about the damage from the representatives of various departments, including revenue, electricity board, animal husbandry, education and agriculture.

Meanwhile, another central team also visited various flood-affected areas in Ferozepur district.

The officers interacted with the district administration and local residents to take stock of the situation. They carried out spot inspections in different villages to evaluate crop loss, damage to infrastructure and the relief measures being undertaken.

Many ministers also toured the flood-affected areas in the state.

According to an official statement, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state has undertaken special measures to ensure the safety and welfare of the elderly during the devastation caused by floods across Punjab.

The Department of Social Security, Women and Child Development has identified 479 elderly persons from the flood-affected areas.

With the support of the district administrations and the Red Cross Society, assistance is being extended to these elderly persons, Social Security, Women and Child Development Minister Baljit Kaur said.

She said old-age homes across the state have the capacity to accommodate around 700 elderly persons and any needy senior citizen can take shelter in these facilities.

Meanwhile, state Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains took swift action on Friday to protect the ancient Lakshmi Narayan temple in Nangal -- a revered historical site -- after it was partially damaged due to the strong currents of the Sutlej river.

Bains, along with volunteers, local youngsters and officials, has been reinforcing the temple's premises with revetment to prevent further damage.

He said efforts are also being made to allocate Rs 1.27 crore for permanent reinforcement of the temple premises through the Nagar Council, Nangal.

"We are committed to protecting our cultural and religious heritage from the disaster and supporting those affected by the deluge. With collective efforts, we will overcome this challenge and restore normalcy," said Bains, who has been overseeing the relief-and-rescue efforts in the flood-affected villages and towns of the Sri Anandpur Sahib constituency. PTI SUN RC