M A I N   N E W S

Canal breached, several villages affected
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 13
Hundreds of acres of agricultural land was inundated under 5 ft deep water following a breach in the Kasur Branch near Tarn Taran this evening.

Mr Narinder Bhargav, SSP, Tarn Taran, said senior police officials led by Mr Kewal Kumar, SP (Headquarters), had rushed to the spot. He, however, claimed that no casualty had been reported so far. Mr Bhargav ruled out any possibility of sabotage.

The worst-affected villages are Aladin, native village of Dr M.S. Gill, a former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Bangalipur, Sanghe, Bachhre and Muradpur.

Mr Rakesh Anand, Executive Engineer, Irrigation, who rushed to the site of the breach, claimed that he would be able to plug the breach soon.

Mr Kewal Kumar, SP, told TNS that the water entered at least 20 houses. More than 500 persons from the Irrigation Department and villages were working round the clock to plug the breach.

The breach, which was initially 75-ft-wide had been reduced to about 30 feet.

A resident of Aladin village, Mr Baldev Singh, told this correspondent that fodder and standing wheat crop in at least five village had been damaged.