Special Chief Secretary reviews flood control arrangements near Mattewara forest complex

Mattewara / Ludhiana, August 21, 2019: Special Chief Secretary cum FCR KBS Sidhu today visited the Mattewara forest area where the breach was about to happen in Satluj River.

He reviewed the flood control arrangements and issued necessary instructions to administration regarding relief work being done.

Talking to the local residents on the occasion, Sidhu said that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has personally sent him to assess the status of this disaster and directed that necessary steps should be taken to bring out the people from this trouble. He said that the Punjab Government has declared it a natural calamity due to flood situation and has also released Rs 100 crore for relief works. He said that Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh today wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking for additional relief of Rs. 1700 crore for relief works.

Sidhu said that the Chief Minister has immediately released financial sanction of Rs 2 crore for flood protection works to the superintendent engineers of the Water Resources Department so that any problem might not come in running the relief works. He directed that whatever steps need to be taken to prevent the loss of people and crops, those must be taken immediately. He directed the Deputy Commissioner to keep him informed of the situation from time to time.

On this occasion, he also visited other areas adjacent to Kum Kalan and Machhiwara.

Disclosing the relief works on the occasion, Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Kumar Agrawal said that the information regarding breach came to know last night, on which immediately after taking action, the district administration started relief work with the help of the local people. He said that the suspected breach area was about 60 feet. District Administration is trying to strengthen it with trees and bags of sand. He said that timely relief work has been done to save the area from major damage.

On this occasion, the Additional Deputy Commissioner (G) Iqbal Singh Sandhu, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Khanna) Jaspal Singh Gill, S D M Ludhiana East Amarjit Singh Bains, S D M Khanna Sundeep Singh and others were present.