05092025-ATR-01.qxd 9/4/2025 11:59 PM Page 1 c m y b Amritsar tribune FORECAST PARTLY CLOUDY AAP’S SANJAY SINGH VISITS AJNALA, MEETS FARMERS CELEBRITIES COME FORWARD TO AID IN FLOOD RELIEF WORK MEET THE BOLLYWOOD STARS WHO ARE REAL-LIFE TEACHERS Rajya Sabha Member Sanjay Singh visited flood-hit villages near Ramdass to meet the families in distress. P2 In this hour of crisis, Punjab's on-screen heroes have turned real-life heroes by offering help on ground. P2 Naseeruddin Shah is celebrated not just for his mastery on screen but also for his dedication to teaching. P4 » » » MAX 33°C | MIN 24°C YESTERDAY MAX 32°C | MIN 24°C SUNSET FRIDAY 6.49 PM SUNRISE SATURDAY 6.08 AM FRIDAY | 5 SEPTEMBER 2025 | AMRITSAR Rising water level in Beas, Sutlej posing threat to Marad village Gurbaxpuri Tarn Taran, September 4 The rising water level in the Beas and Sutlej rivers is becoming a threat for the existence of Marar village located in the Mand area. The village is situated near the bank of Beas river adjacent to Harike town. Bihar Singh, Sarpanch of the village, said after the rise of water level, the Beas river is flowing quite near the houses in the village, causing land erosion and damaging other buildings in the area. The Sarpanch said that the followers of Kar Sewa sect, Sarhali, led by Baba Sukha Singh, Baba Jagtar Singh of Tarn Taran and Baba Avtar Singh Sursingh besides state government employees were working hard to strengthen the embankments of the river for the last five days. In view of the seriousness of the situation, leaders of the ruling AAP including Manish Sisodia, Cabinet Ministers Laljit Singh Bhullar, Harbhajan Singh ETO, Aman Arora and others have visited Marar village during the last few days. Sarpanch Bohar Singh said that despite the efforts made by farmers of the area, the situation has not improved as the material sent to strengthen the river bank slipped from the site and got swept away. The Sarpanch said that he has brought the matter to the notice of officials concerned. The department was just providing them with empty gunny bags and crates only, he said. Officials of the Irrigation Department said 3.22 lakh cusecs of water was flowing downstream Flood-hit people complain of not getting adequate relief material continue to live on the edge of disaster, say experts. Several villages continue to reel under darkness at night as there has not been any power supply for the past one week. As power infrastructure stands uprooted, PSPCL would need to invest heavily to restore the power supply. Since it will take a long time, people find themselves helpless. Adding to their woes is poor availability of the mobile network. Skattar Singh of Megha village said there was still three to four feet high water in his village and his family was putting up on the roof. There was no light and he came out to buy milk for his children. After wading through water, he took a lift on a motorcycle to reach Ramdass to buy the same. Retail business was severely hit as the shops situated on the main roads, leading to the International Border along the Ravi, were found closed and their prospective customers were battling floods. Moreover, floodwaters were still flowing at several points on the Fatehgarh Churian- Ramdas road stretch. Parminder Singh, a shopkeeper, said, “Business will take a long time to limp back to normalcy as a majority of people from villages spread across Amritsar’s Ramdass to Gurdaspur’s Dera Baba Nanak are unlikely to get their conventional job. The area is known for producing high-quality cauliflower and paddy. Every September, the area starts supplying these perishable fresh farm items to various markets across Punjab and even outside. DC Sakshi Sawhney and Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Dhaliwal said to ensure that relief material should reach people in distress, the donors should contact the control room at the Chamyari Flood Relief Centre, whose phone number is 62804-00958. Officials at the centre will provide names of the villages where the material needs to be distributed, he said. As rising Ravi waters breach bundhs, residents Girdawari to begin as soon as of Ghonewal village fear losing their dwellings weather clears up: DC Sawhney Raghav Chadha grants ~50 lakh from MP fund Neeraj Bagga Farmers busy in strengthening the river embankment at Marar village in Tarn Taran. PHOTO: GURBAXPURI from the Harike Headworks on Thursday while it was 3.30 lakh cusecs on Wednesday . Officials requesting anonymity said that the river has a capacity for just one lakh cusecs of water to flow in routine conditions and the flow above this limit may be considered as a warning to the area residents. There were many other spots alongside the Beas- Sutlej rivers at Sabhra, Kuliwala, Kirian, Gharunm etc where the river bank was supposedly weak and there was likelihood of a breach taking place any time. Tarn Taran Deputy Commissioner Rahul and other officials remained tight-lipped and refrained from giving give any information on the flood situation in spite of repeated attempts. Amritsar, September 4 The district administration has urged donors to approach its relief camps to gain prior information as to where relief material can be delivered. The step by the administration comes after flood-hit people in remote villages complained of not getting adequate relief material and accused residents of villages, which had not been affected by the deluge, of stocking up on supplies, Residents of flood-ravaged villages alleged that they were not getting adequate relief material despite suffering the maximum damage. They alleged that relief material was being ‘grabbed’ by residents of relatively safer villages, which lie ahead and sought priority in treatment. Standing one and a half kilometres away from Saharan Kasowala village, Jaspal Singh said his village continues to remain submerged and no official has, so far, visited them. Along with his two brothers, he remained stuck over the rooftop of his house for three days. He said their village was situated just 2 km from the border with Pakistan. Now the approach road to the main road stands snapped. Manpreet Singh and Baba Singh of Pachiyan village Pawan K Jaiswar PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service Cattle rescued from flood-ravaged villages tethered to trees on a road in Ramdass area of Amritsar. said their village neither got any supply of ration nor even a piece of tarpaulin sheet. People possessing kothis (mansions) situated along the highways are stocking ration and turi (hay/chaff). A native of Sahjade village said he owns 12 buffaloes and has been staying with them out of the house for the past one week. After finding no supply of hay reaching his village Jatta, Mukhwinder Singh guided his cattle out on the road leading to Ramdass town only two days ago. Rescued from flood-devastated villages, people can be seen camping on roadside with their belongings, Tribune News Service Ajnala, September 4 Tension has gripped the residents of this village with water level rising again following the release of thousands of cusecs of water from the dams on Ravi river after incessant rains in the catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir. The dhussi bundhs (earthen embankments) have been breached at several places in Ghonewal and Machhiwal villages alone. The residents who have their homes near the point of breach from where Ravi river water is flowing into the villages, expressed their fear that they might lose their dwellings soon. Baljit Singh of Ghonewal village said that river water was passing near their houses and eroding the foundations leading to caving in of floors. “There are five to six houses which have been under risk,” he PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Tribune News Service A view of a damaged house ravaged by floods caused by the Ravi at Ghonewal village on Thursday. pointed out. Vijay Singh, another resident, said that in the past two days, the residents heaved a sigh of relief as the water had receded. But since last evening, the water level has increased again, so has the fear among the inhabitants of losing all that they have,” he said. “It took an age to construct a house and one’s life’s earnings, but it took just a day to lose everything because of floods,” he pointed out. He said that the district administration was yet to reach them while the volunteers of various NGOs and organisa- tions have approached them for providing food and other necessary items. Manjinder Singh, another resident, said the situation has turned grim and it was unlikely to return to normal soon. “Our houses have been badly damaged by the flood water,” Baljit Singh said. Amritsar, September 4 As the weather clears after week-long incessant rainfall, Amritsar Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney visited the Ghonewal area in Ramdass where a breach occurred in the dhussi bundh, causing large-scale damage to nearby villages. She said the relief operation in the flood-affected area will continue in the coming days. Interacting with affected families at Ghonewal village, Sawhney said as soon as the floodwaters recede and the weather clears up, a girdawari will begin to assess the extent of damage to houses. She said the weather department has forecast a clear weather in the coming days. “If the weather remains clear, our patwaris will reach each affected house and assess the damage done and after receiving the report, the work of distributing the compensation amount will be started as soon as possible by refrigerators, bundles of clothes and other material, which they salvaged when the deluge hit their houses. The overcast sky and continuous rain exacerbate their routine life and hamper delivery of relief material. Even a week after the sudden deluge hit them, they wake up every morning only to rush out to know the water level. Access to several roads leading to these villages, which fall near the border with Pakistan, and the Ravi are lying broken, disrupting delivery of relief material. Over the decades, residents of several villages, set up in close proximity to the river, sending it to the government for approval,” she said, adding that, “Our effort is to first start girdawari from the most affected area, which is Ghonewal, where a breach took place the dhussi bundh broke and it also caused the most damage here.” At present, administration teams, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), Red Cross, Amritsar, various organisations, Kar Sewa stalwarts, youth service societies and other volunteers have reached from all over Punjab and are serving needy persons. Additional Deputy Commissioner Rohit Gupta said 190 villages of Amritsar district have been affected by floods and about 1.35 lakh people living in them have been directly affected by floods. He said five lives have been lost due to floods in Amritsar district and 91 houses damaged. Talking about livestock, the Additional Deputy Commissioner said they had information of about 12 animals per- ished and many missing. “Our teams are taking part in rescue operations and have rescued 2,734 people, who were completely surrounded by water and taken them to safer places. At present, flood relief centres are running at 16 places for the convenience of people, where arrangements have been made for the accommodation of needy people and animal shelter. Apart from this, ration is being distributed to needy people and fodder and feed for animals is being arranged from these places,” he informed. He said medical teams remain present for 24 hours at these camps and treat needy persons. He appealed to the people that many of snake bites in floodwaters have been reported, which should not be taken lightly and whenever someone gets bitten by a snake, he should immediately rush to one of these nearby flood relief centres, where doctors have snake bite vaccine. Illegal sand mining in Ravi weakened dhussi bundhs, villagers tell Chouhan Pawan K Jaiswar Tribune News Service Ghonewal (Ajnala), Sept 4 The issue of illegal sand mining in the Ravi river was prominently raised during the visit of Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan here on Thursday. He was accompanied by prominent BJP leaders including Union Minister for Railways Ravneet Singh Bit- tu, state president Sunil Jakhar and senior party leader Tarun Chugh during the visit. Farmers alleged that illegal sand mining along the Dhussi Bundhs (earthen embankments) weakened them leading to the worsening of the situation. They alleged that the sudden flow of water from the dams following rain in the catchment areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jam- Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Chouhan tours flood-hit villages in Ajnala border subdivision, in Amritsar on Thursday. c m y b mu and Kashmir resulted in a breach in these embankments, resulting in floods. The entire crop was devastated and hundreds of villages were marooned because of the flood waters. Sarpanch Prithipal Singh of the ruling AAP urged the Union Minister to strengthen the embankments. Baljit Singh of Araiya village told the Union Minister that the area was affected during the floods in 1988, 1994, 1995 and 2023 as well but it has caused more damage this time than on earlier occasions. “The ministers and political leaders would meet you. But please visit the farmers who would tell you about the ground realities,” Baljit Singh told the Union Minister who said that is why he had personally come to visit the affected areas. BJP leader Amarpal Singh Bony Ajnala alleged that illegal sand mining has continued unabated under the influence of AAP leaders while sparing no thought for repairing the Dhussi Bundhs which were weakened because of this. Also, no desilting was done in the past 10 years leading to the tragedy this year. Tribune News Service Amritsar, September 4 After rescue operations in the flood-affected areas of Amritsar, relief work is now going on a large scale. MP Raghav Chadha and Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer on Wednesday announced to provide a grant of Rs 50 lakh and Rs 25 lakh, respectively, from their discretionary quota to the district administration. In a letter sent to the Deputy Commissioner Amritsar, Raghav Chadha wrote that as a Member of Parliament from Punjab, he stands shoulder to shoulder with people in this crisis. He appealed that this money be spent on providing help to those affected by floods. Meanwhile, Meet Hayer, who was personally carrying out relief work in flood-affected areas with his team for the last three days, also gave a grant of Rs. 25 lakh from his quota to the district administration for relief work. Hayer said during these three days, he got the opportunity to meet affected people in the flood-affected area. He said the floods have led to the loss of human lives, property, livestock, etc, but the good thing is that people are in high spirits and it is hoped the brave people of Majha will soon emerge from this crisis. He assured them of all possible help from his side.