The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Wednesday, June 14, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

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Ravi: bane of BSF patrols
From Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

DHUSSI BUNDH (Indo-Pakistan Border), June 13 — “No approach road is left for watch and ward and communication for the Border Security Force posted at the five border observation posts. Hence, to maintain proper liaison and communication for the BSF personnel it is essential to extend the deflecting spurs which would ultimately improve patrolling of the BSF and also help in checking entries of bad elements across the border”.

Thus reads a letter of an Executive Engineer, Amritsar drainage division addressed to higher authorities which speaks volumes about the probability of infiltration from across the border due to the damage to the protection bundhs. However, the state government and Centre continue to adopt an ‘indifferent’ approach to this vital issue. While the state and Centre Government spend huge amounts of money on distribution of compensation to the victims after floods, hardly any serious attempt is made to take precautionary measures.

The washing away of the many ‘studs’, apart from damage to spurs and protection bundhs on embankment of the Ravi may prove to be dangerous during the monsoon. the residents of border areas say they are virtually at the mercy of almighty as the administration has failed to take precautionary measures in this regard.

Many people interviewed by TNS said they had been victims of floods as well as the administration for the past many years.

“We hardly build pucca houses as they could also be washed away in case of floods”.

An intensive tour of the border area showed that the Ravi had caused colossal erosion to its embankments and adjoining fields.

It may be mentioned here that the drainage department had framed a scheme to connect five border observation posts (BOPs) by providing 42,000 ft embankment to save these BOPs — Majhimewan, Sherpur, Gulgarh, Behlol, Ghoga and Burj. However, due to paucity of funds this ambitious scheme has not been executed so far. In case of floods, water from the Ravi spills around the BOPs and inundates the surrounding agricultural land of around 9000 acres where crops are damaged. The Executive Engineer further writes “In addition to this there is a national loss of the government money which is required to be distributed as crop compensation to the farmers.”

The drainage department had sent details of works which should be executed before the monsoon. This includes the schemes of Rs 9.68 crore in Gurdaspur and Rs 13.60 crore protection bundhs in Amritsar district. Even as the monsoon is likely by the end of this month, the schemes of the department have not been materialised.