Punjab floods: With fresh rains in some parts, CM Amarinder Singh directs DCs to step up vigil

With rains again lashing parts of flood-ravaged Punjab, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday directed all ministers overseeing relief operations and the deputy commissioners to step up vigil.

According to a forecast by the MeT department, light to moderate rains/thundershowers are likely at a few places on August 25, and at isolated places, thereafter in the state, which witnessed its worst flood in decades.

The chief minister has also called for a detailed review meeting on Sunday afternoon on the flood relief measure.

"In view of resumption of rainfall, have directed all ministers in charge and DCs to step up vigil. At 2 pm today have called for a detailed review meeting on the flood relief measures," Amarinder Singh said in a tweet.

He has deputed four ministers -- Charanjit Singh Channi, Sunder Sham Arora, Gurpreet Singh Kangar and Bharat Bhushan Ashu -- to oversee relief operations in worst-affected Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Rupnagar districts.

He had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek a special flood relief package of Rs 1,000 crore for compensating losses resulting from floods in the state.

It is estimated, as per initial calculations, that the state has suffered damage worth Rs 1,700 crore due to the floods.

The chief minister, who in the past few days, has extensively toured the affected areas to make an on-ground assessment of the losses caused to standing crops, houses, public installations and livestock, also urged Modi to instruct the authorities concerned to waive crop loans of banks/ financial institutions availed by the affected farmers in the flood stricken villages during the current cropping season.

Heavy rains in some parts of the state have caused extensive damage to the standing crops and inundation of residential areas in several districts, including Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Rupnagar and Kapurthala.

Normal life has been adversely hit in the flood-affected areas of Punjab.

NDRF and SDRF personnel, who are assisted by hundreds of volunteers and philanthropic organisations, have been working overtime to provide succour to flood-hit population.

They have been reaching out to affected people with food, water, clothing, medicines and other essentials.

In Jalandhar's Shahkot, hundreds of flood-affected people thronged a medical camp set up by authorities.

"People in numbers are reporting with stomach-related infections, skin allergies, high fever and other ailments. We are giving them free treatment and medicines," one of the doctors at the camp said.

These temporary medical camps have been set up at other flood-affected areas as well.

State health authorities said they are doing everything possible to prevent possible outbreak of an epidemic in flood-hit areas.

Punjab had faced its worst flood in 1988.

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