A fresh spell of heavy rains compounded the flood situation in Punjab with the death toll rising to 37 , while crops on 1.75 lakh hectares of land in 23 districts got damaged by the worst deluge in the state since 1988.
Rescue and relief operations are underway on a war footing as help poured in from several quarters for over 3.55 lakh people in 1,655 villages, desperately looking for succour.
According to PTI, Following heavy rains, an alert has been sounded in Rupnagar and Patiala districts, urging people to remain vigilant, while all schools, colleges and universities have been closed till September 7.
With rains refusing to relent in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the already swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers originating in the Himalayas and seasonal rivulets inundated towns, villages and agricultural lands, upending normal life.
The Punjab government released Rs 71 crore as an immediate relief and rehabilitation measure, with the AAP dispensation reiterating that it was committed to compensating people for their losses.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will visit the flood-hit areas in Punjab on Thursday to review the extent of crop damage. AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, along with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, will also assess the flood damage on the same day. He will take stock of the relief work being carried out in the state and interact with the affected people, said the party.
