Workers face uphill task, only 18 boats for relief operations

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Chak Wadala (Lohian), August 23

Across inundated villages in Lohian there is a dearth of medications, tarpaulin and fodder, which are in big demand among residents.

While the local MLA said 18 boats had been pressed into service, MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh said one boat had been given to each village. However, with no decrease in water level in interior parts of villages, which boats take at least an hour to reach, satisfying needs of hundreds of residents is a tall order for the NDRF, SDRF, Army and private boats which keep traversing the length and breadth of rivers all day.

While the SDRF alone rescued 700 residents on the Janian Chahal stretch, most of the houses visited need supplies and a few of them need to be rescued.

At various houses accessible only by boat which The Tribune teams visited today, tarpaulins and water remained prime concern of residents. With stranded cattle a major reason to stay back, others have been hitching rides with SDRF/SDRF teams. Gurpartap Singh, along with his mother Balvir Kaur, returned to his flooded house at Chak Wadala village to bring in medical reports of her ailing mother Balvir Kaur.

Balvir said: “I was stranded alone with my daughter when flood came and latter, I sent her to relief camps. Today, I have returned to get my reports for medical treatment.’’

Pritam Singh, another resident at Chak Wadala, sought water and langar (cooked food) from NDRF teams which threw the packets over the house where Pritam, along with his daughter and two relatives, including his grandson, has been stranded for three days.

Brothers Gurmeet Singh and Gurkirpal Singh also called out loudly NDRF teams for their prime need – tarpaulins. When they were offered blankets and shawls, they said they needed big polythene sheets to shade themselves from the sun.

Gumeet Singh said: “We cant make do with smaller tarpaulins. The sun is scorching during the day and we need bigger tarpaulins to make through the day.”

While about five to eight boats ply on the Janian Chahal village stretch, most boats are stacked with rations and a standard tour by the riders merely ensures enough time and space (on the boat) to provide rations to about five to six houses and rescue two persons.

Daljit Kaur, who has been staying with her son on the rooftop at Chak Wadala, thankfully is protected by a taller inundated house which is providing shade to her. She asked for water and dry ration.

Inspector Manoj, a member of an SDRF teamm said: “We have rescued about 700 villagers in the past few days and operations are still on. The prime concern is getting ration and supplies to as many villages as possible.”

The Jalandhar MP said, “We have provided massive relief and new 18 relief boats, with teams, are also going to affected areas with a doctor, a vet and a food supplies officer. Boats have also been pressed into service near Sardarwala today.”