Hoshiarpur, August 24
Owing to the rising water levels in the reservoir of the Pong Dam and the proposed release of water from it after the water levels reaching the danger mark due to heavy rains in the catchment area in Himachal Pradesh, flood threat looms over 41 villages of Dasuya and 35 villages of Mukerian sub divisions located downstream from the river Beas.

Talking to The Tribune here today, Deputy Commissioner, Hoshiarpur, Dharam Dutt Ternach said the administration had identified 41 villages in Dasuya and 35 villages in Mukerian sub divisions as sensitive.

To save life and property of the residents from the fury of floods, Dasuya sub division had been divided into nine sectors and Mukerian into 10 sectors where evacuation centres had been set up to shift people from flood-affected areas. Flood control rooms had been set up at tehsil offices with telephone number 01882285024 at Dasuya and 01883244813 at Mukerian.

In addition to flood equipment, seven aluminum boats had been made available at Dasuya and five at Mukerian. Representatives of 17 NGOs had offered to provide help during emergency at Dasuya and four at Mukerian.

The Chief Medical Officer had instructed all senior medical officers, executive officers of municipal councils, executive engineers of water supply and sewerage board and public health to arrange potable water for people and sufficient chlorine tablets. Pure well liquid has been arranged for the chlorination of wells.

As many as 25 veterinary aid teams had been constituted to provide veterinary health care services and to provide prophylactic vaccination against HS, F.MD and black quarter disease.

Sub divisional level teams of agriculture development officials were constituted to arrange green and dry fodder for animals.

In case of emergency help from the district police would also be sought. Similarly, help from the Army stationed at Jalandhar would also be taken to save people from the fury of floods.

He claimed that presently, the situation was pretty normal and under control.

Amritsar, August 24
Panic gripped Malikpur, Sangai and Gilwali villages following news of fissures along the embankment of the Ravi river in Dariya Musa village in border tehsil of Ajnala today.

The villagers feared any mishap could lead to maximum damage in the three villages.

Meanwhile, the Army jawans, MGNREGS workers, labourers of the Drainage Department and villagers repaired the fissures. However, the seepage caused inundation of some acres of land along the embankment.

The district administration had to solicit the help of the Army.

Sawinder Pal Singh of Malikpur village said across the embankment several acres of land had submerged.

Deputy Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu brushed away any chances of ruptures in the embankment.

About 1.70 lac cusec of water was released in river Ravi from the Ujh river in Jammu on Sunday which resulted in this situation.

However, now only about 70,000 cusec water was flowing in the river. About 500 labourers were working for the protection of the embankment.

Nawanshahr, August 24
Residents of a number of villages in the vicinity of the Dhussi bundh along the Sutlej here in the district averted the apprehension of floods as they put in timely and concerted efforts to check the erosion of the Dhussi bundh at the Tajowal-Mandala complex due to the rising level of water.

They also moved the district administration to come into action to take preventive measures to check the erosion from converting into a breach.

The Tajowal-Mandala complex has already been identified as a sensitive point but nothing concrete was done to strengthen the Dhussi bundh here to avert the danger of floods.

With the release of water from the Bhakra Dam, the swelling Sutlej river caused 70 to 80 feet erosion to the Dhussi bundh at the Tajowal-Mandala complex today. As the villagers have been keeping a close watch, they immediately sprung into action in the morning to check further erosion. Residents pressed their tractor trailers into service for filling up the affected site of the bundh with sand and cut trees to put them there, to make up for the damage caused by water flowing to the bundh.

Deputy Commissioner Shruti Singh, accompanied by SDM Virpal Singh, Tehsildar Barjinder Singh, Naib Tehsildar, Manvir Singh Dhillon, too reached the site immediately after getting information and she not only mobilised officials of the drainage, revenue and police departments and panchayats to immediately do the needful but remained present there for about five hours to personally monitor the rescue operation.

“The situation is pretty much under control now. The joint efforts of the district administration and the villagers have succeeded in averting the danger of the flood,” said Shruti.

Satnam Singh, former sarpanch, Harnam Singh, Namberdar, Sewa Singh and Manak Singh of Tajowal village, who have actively been involved in the damage control exercise, while talking to The Tribune, said the situation would not have worsened to such an extent if the administration had taken timely preventive measures by undertaking work to strengthen the sensitive site.

“We have grown up around the Sutlej river and know its moods, but the officials of the drainage department have altogether been ignoring our lifeline while making plans to strengthen the Dhussi bundh,” said Namberdar Harnam Singh and former Sarpanch Satnam Singh lamenting that officials of the drainage department had just been making plans and assessing the velocity of the flowing river water on paper. The village residents were seen toiling hard to plug the possible breach in the Dhussi bundh, which could play havoc with crops, cattle and lives and the officials of the drainage department have been assisting them.

SDO(Drainage) Balwinder Singh and Junior Engineer, AP Punj were making arrangements for sand bags and preparing iron nets and stones etc. for saving the bundh from further erosion. Ironically, while the prominent village elders have been drawing the attention of the officials of the drainage department towards other possible vulnerable sites at the Tajowal-Mandala complex and urging them to take immediate preventive measures, they were seen grudging about lack of funds for the purpose.

“While the safety of our lives, crops, cattle and property are in constant danger due to the apprehension of floods, officials are so apathetic that they have been calculating pennies in carrying out the rescue operation,” lamented village residents adding that yesterday the Deputy Commissioner during her visit to the Dhussi bundh had stated that she had released funds for undertaking anti-flood measures. Have the funds exhausted just in a day, that too without undertaking any work? asked irate villagers while alleging that it seemed that the work done by the villagers for saving the bundh would be shown as the work done by the drainage department to siphon off the funds. 

Hoshiarpur, August 24
The reservoir of the Chohal Dam, located on the foothills of the Shivalik range, 8 km from here, on Hoshiarpur-Dharamshala road, will be developed for tourism to attract the tourists of the country.

This was disclosed by Punjab Minister for Labour, Medical Education and Research, Forest and Parliamentary Affairs Tikshan Sud while addressing a meeting of officials of various government departments at Chohal Rest House on Sunday.

After discussing the issue in detail, Tikshan Sud said houseboats with modern facilities, kitchen and edible material would be provided on the banks of the reservoir for tourists. The arrangement for houseboats would be done by the Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMC) in which all type of facilities would be made available to the tourists. This would not only provide employment to the people of the Kandi area of the district, but also develop tourism in the area.

To carry the houseboats to the reservoir, training to the members of the JFMC would be given by the tourism institutions.

Chief Conservator Officer (Hills) Jatinder Sharma said to develop the reservoir for tourism a comprehensive project of Rs 43 lakh had been prepared by the Forest Department and had been sent to the state Tourism Department for final approval.

Batala, August 24
Akali leaders of Shri Hargobindpur are on a war path against the alleged corrupt and biased action of officials of Shri Hargobindpur police station.

Sadhu Singh of Bhambrhi village was murdered and his son was seriously injured about three months ago regarding which a case under sections 302, 324, 148 and 149 of the IPC was registered against 11 persons at Shri Hargobindpur police station. The motive behind the crime was a minor land dispute.

Capt Balbir Singh Bath, MLA, said the police had been lingering on the investigation of the case. The then SHO and his subordinates took a bribe of Rs 1 lakh from the victims’ family, but still proper investigation was not conducted. The police had arrested four persons, including two woman, and declared four persons as innocent to favour the accused. Three persons were yet to be arrested.

Capt Bath stated here today that they would stage a dharna in protest against the corrupt and biased action of the police on August 27 before the office of the SSP if the police failed to arrest all accused. In this connection, a Sangharsh Committee, comprising 11 members, had been formed.

Capt Bath said he would take up the matter with Sukhbir Singh Badal, Deputy CM, Punjab.

When contacted, Dinesh Pratap Singh, SSP, said the police was working in accordance with law and in an unbiased manner. He stated that no complaint of alleged corruption by Sawinder Singh, SHO, Shri Hargobindpur police station, had been received in his office. However, if any such complaint came to his notice, it would be looked into properly.