Punjab CM claims most flood hit villages moving fast towards normalcy

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Most of the flood-affected villages in Punjab are fast approaching near normalcy, with all the concerned departments working 24×7 under the Chief Minister’s personal guidance on a comprehensive multi-pronged strategy, a Punjab government spokesperson said. With Chief Minister Amarinder Singh himself monitoring the operations on a day-to-day basis, power connections have now been completely restored with work in progress in full swing to repair the ravaged roads amid continuous on-ground operations to assess the damage and check the outbreak of disease in all the flood-hit areas.
A 25,000-strong multi-department workforce is working round the clock to meet the stringent deadlines set by the Chief Minister to complete the relief, rehabilitation and restoration tasks, said the spokesperson.

While most of the breaches along the flooded rivers have been plugged, medical teams are out to provide preventive care in every village.
Thousands of personnel are working to undertake water sampling, outdoor and indoor spray, water chlorination, fever survey, card tests for timely detection of malaria and dengue, distribution of sanitary napkins and mosquito nets.
Preliminary damage to life and property has also been assessed.
Free seed distribution to the affected farmers has started and compensation distribution under various heads is also on, according to the spokesperson.
The water supply and sanitation department has pressed in water tankers for providing clean and potable drinking water in the villages until water supply is fully restored. Water testing teams are testing the quality of water in all the villages to avoid the outbreak of any disease.
Besides water, dry ration kits, sugar, rice, wheat flour, ghee and milk powder are being provided to the people in the marooned villages.
Seven helicopters of the Indian Army and two MI-17 choppers of the Indian Air Force were pressed into service to airdrop food packets.
Connectivity has been restored in 14 of the 20 villages cut off from land in the initial deluge in the Sultanpur Lodhi sub-division.

IANS