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Ludhiana: 22 panchayats write to guv, seek army’s help
Villagers stressed that despite the fall in water levels after rain subsided, the breach is widening unchecked; they urged the governor to personally visit the flood-hit area
Panic is mounting across villages in the Machhiwara belt as the Sutlej river continues to eat away its banks near Sasrali Colony, leaving fertile farmlands, homes and tube wells at risk of being washed away. At least 22 village panchayats have written a joint letter to the Punjab governor, pleading for urgent army intervention to save their land and livelihoods from further devastation.
In their letter, the panchayats of Sasrali Colony, Boothgarh, Gaunsgarh, Gadhapur, Raur, Managat, Hawas, Khwajke, Mangli Tanda, Mangli Khas, Garhi Togada, Garhi Fazil, Garhi Shero, Shekhowal, Kasabaad, Jeewanpur, Dheri, Bajra, Sattowal, Seera, Churwal and Macchiana Kala warned that the dhussi bundh has collapsed across several kilometres, leaving villages exposed to relentless erosion. “Our ancestral land, the sole source of our livelihood, is being swallowed by the river every day. The embankment has disappeared over stretches, yet no scientific methodology or technical intervention has been applied. Dumping sandbags without engineering design is futile. The situation is slipping beyond control,” the letter reads.
Villagers stressed that despite the fall in water levels after rain subsided, the breach is widening unchecked. They urged the governor to personally visit the flood-hit area. The panchayats demanded immediate deployment of army engineers for embankment repair, expert teams in hydrology and disaster management, and relief measures for affected families.
Slamming the AAP government, BJP’s Punjab spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal said villagers writing to the governor for survival showed the “collapse” of the state government.
Deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain confirmed that large-scale work is underway to contain the breach. “On the Jalandhar side, a cunette is being dug to divert water away, while dredging along the Ludhiana edge is also in progress. Three contractors have been shifted to Sasrali, working round the clock at three different points. Local cooperation has improved and massive mobilisation of drainage labour is planned over the next two days,” Jain said.
He added that while the situation has been “partly controlled today,” the only long-term solution is massive de-silting of the Sutlej from the Jalandhar side.
