A central team will soon visit Punjab to assess the damage in the flood-ravaged state, where rains lashed some parts on Sunday as Chief Minister Amarinder Singh directed all ministers and deputy commissioners overseeing relief operations to step up vigil.
The chief minister, who was joined by his Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar and state Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, presided over a high-level meeting to review the flood situation in Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Rupnagar districts.
"Responding to the chief minister's request, the Union Home Ministry has decided to send a central team to assess the damage and loss due to floods in Punjab too.
"Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has informed the state government that a central team to assess damage on account of floods would also be sent to Punjab, along with 11 other flood ravaged states," a Punjab government statement said here.
Earlier in the day, the chief minister had tweeted, "In view of resumption of rainfall, have directed all ministers in charge and DCs to step up vigil"
He has deputed four ministers -- Charanjit Singh Channi, Sunder Sham Arora, Gurpreet Singh Kangar and Bharat Bhushan Ashu -- to oversee relief operations in worst-affected Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Rupnagar districts.
Meanwhile, a few villages in Punjab's Ferozepur district along the Indo-Pak border are facing flood threat after heavy water discharge from Pakistani side washed away major portion of an embankment in Tendiwala village in the catchment area of the Sutlej river, officials said on Sunday.
The chief minister on Sunday had asked the Water Resources Department to work out a joint action plan with Army authorities to strengthen the embankment at Tendiwala village in Ferozepur.
An official spokesperson said Ferozepur district administration is on high alert, while precautionary deployment of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army teams has been made in view of flood threat which looms large in some villages.
According to the deputy commissioner of Ferozepur, in 15 flood-hit villages in Makhu and Hussaniwala area, nearly 500 people had been evacuated to safer places and about 630 had been given necessary medical aid.
In addition, nearly 950 food packets had been distributed to people, and adequate arrangements have been made for supply of feed and fodder to the livestock.
With the concerted efforts of local residents, religious and social organisations, two major breaches in the Sutlej river in Jalandhar district had been plugged by the district administration at Mau Sahib village, Meowal, whereas work on other breaches at Powahari Sailkiana villages of Phillaur and Jania Chahal village in Shahkot was nearing completion, the statement said.
With regard to Kapurthala district, the chief minister was apprised during Sunday's meeting that there was no loss of human life and cattle reported, and the district administration had constituted 20 village-wise flood relief teams stationed in the severely affected areas on 24X7 basis.
The chief minister also directed the deputy commissioners of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Rupnagar and Nawan Shahr to chalk out a detailed programme to initiate the process of assessing damage to crops and infrastructure in the flood-hit areas immediately after the water level recedes.
Meanwhile, the Group of Secretaries on Disaster Management would meet on Monday, under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, to take stock of the situation arising in various districts of the state owing to floods.
Heavy rains in some parts of the state have caused extensive damage to the standing crops and inundation of residential areas in several districts, including Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ferozepur, Rupnagar and Kapurthala.
Normal life has been adversely hit in the flood-affected areas of the state.
NDRF and SDRF personnel, who are assisted by hundreds of volunteers and philanthropic organisations, have been working overtime to provide succour to the flood-hit population.
They have been reaching out to affected people with food, water, clothing, medicines and other essentials.
In Jalandhar's Shahkot, hundreds of flood-affected people thronged a medical camp set up by authorities.
"People in numbers are reporting with stomach-related infections, skin allergies, high fever and other ailments. We are giving them free treatment and medicines," one of the doctors at the camp said.
These temporary medical camps have been set up at other flood-affected areas as well.
State health authorities said they are doing everything to prevent possible outbreak of an epidemic in flood-hit areas.
Punjab had faced its worst flood in 1988.
It is estimated, as per initial calculations, that the state has suffered damage worth Rs 1,700 crore due to the floods.
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