n Sunday, Punjab’s Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian announced that 14,936 individuals have been moved to secure locations from flood-hit regions in the state.
He explained that state officials together with NDRF, SDRF, Army units and Punjab Police are working continuously day and night to protect people and property. Providing figures for each district, he stated that 1700 were rescued in Amritsar, 25 in Barnala, 1599 in Fazilka, 3265 in Ferozepur, 5456 in Gurdaspur, 1052 in Hoshiarpur, 362 in Kapurthala, 163 in Mansa, 115 in Moga, 1139 in Pathankot and 60 in Tarn Taran.
Mundian added that relief shelters have also been expanded as evacuations proceed. At present 122 shelters are functional in the affected areas giving refuge to 6,582 displaced persons.
Explaining the district level data, the minister noted 16 shelters are active in Amritsar, 1 in Barnala, 7 in Fazilka, 8 in Ferozepur, 25 in Gurdaspur, 20 in Hoshiarpur, 4 in Kapurthala, 1 in Mansa, 5 in Moga, 14 in Pathankot, 1 in Sangrur and 20 in Patiala. Deputy Commissioners have been instructed to ensure food and other essentials are made available, he mentioned.
He further highlighted that camps in Amritsar are hosting 170 residents, Barnala 25, Fazilka 652, Ferozepur 3987, Gurdaspur 411, Hoshiarpur 478, Kapurthala 110, Mansa 163, Moga 115, Pathankot 411 and Sangrur 60.
The minister conveyed appreciation to NDRF, SDRF, the Army, Punjab Police and NGOs for assisting the administration in this emergency. He said 6 NDRF teams are active in Gurdaspur while one team each is present in Fazilka, Ferozepur, Pathankot and Amritsar. Two SDRF groups are also stationed in Kapurthala.
Army, Navy and Air Force contingents have been deployed in Kapurthala, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur and Pathankot, while BSF units are providing help in Gurdaspur and Ferozepur. Punjab Police along with Fire Brigade personnel are extending support in Kapurthala and Ferozepur. Fifteen boats in Kapurthala, twelve in Ferozepur and four in Pathankot are being used for evacuation and in certain places air operations are also under way.
According to Mundian, a total of 1312 villages have been affected across Punjab. The list includes 93 in Amritsar, 26 in Barnala, 21 in Bathinda, 1 in Fatehgarh Sahib, 92 in Fazilka, 107 in Ferozepur, 324 in Gurdaspur, 86 in Hoshiarpur, 55 in Jalandhar, 123 in Kapurthala, 26 in Ludhiana, 4 in Malerkotla, 77 in Mansa, 35 in Moga, 81 in Pathankot, 14 in Patiala, 2 in Rupnagar, 22 in Sangrur, 1 in SAS Nagar, 3 in SBS Nagar, 74 in Sri Muktsar Sahib and 45 in Tarn Taran.
