Monsoon fury: No home, no school, Jalandhar village kids left high & dry

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

Dhakka Basti (Jalandhar), July 20

Residents of this nondescript village in Lohian block, with a population of nearly 200, have borne the brunt of floods as almost all the families here have lost their homes and belongings, and are forced to live in tents.

Most of the houses have been washed away, while those still standing have become unsafe to live in as these have developed cracks. For children, it has been a hard lesson. They have lost everything to floods, from toys to books to shelter.

The village Government Primary School, with a strength of 40 students, is inaccessible. “My mother bought me a bicycle last year to go to school. When our house collapsed, my bicycle, books and bags were washed away. How will I go to school now?” says Jaswinder Singh, a Class V student.

The villagers are forced to live in tents, staring at a bleak future. Fighting back tears, Jaswinder’s mother Manpreet Kaur says: “I bought him a bicycle as I didn’t want him to have trouble going to school. Everything is finished. My husband is a daily wage worker. We don’t have means for survival. I am worried about my son’s studies.”

“In the 2019 floods, too, our one-room house had collapsed. After much hard work, we rebuilt our room, which has collapsed again,” she adds. Ansh Singh, a class 2 student, says he along with his parents was rescued by a boat. “My father says we don’t have a house now. I even left behind my schoolbag,” he laments. His father Surjit Singh, also a daily wager, says their future looks bleak. “We somehow managed to save our lives. I do not want my child’s studies to suffer,” he says. Sarabjit Singh, a schoolteacher, says he is touch with students and their parents.

Most of the villagers do part-time jobs, says Harmesh Singh, sarpanch. “We urge the government to allocate land elsewhere so that villagers do not have to face the ordeal again.”

Kartarpur Sahib pilgrimage halted

Dera Baba Nanak: The Gurdaspur administration has suspended operations at Kartarpur Sahib corridor for three days following threat of floods from the Ravi. With water hitting dangerous levels on Wednesday night, the DC sought permission from the Land Ports Authority of India to shut the passage for three days. The operations were suspended following the nod. TNS