Patiala ki Rao rivulet mishap: Two days on, ex-panch’s body found in Mohali village

Two days after a couple was swept away in a flashflood in the Patiala Ki Rao rivulet on the Tanda-Koraran Road, the body of the drowned man was found in Dhanas

Two days after a couple was swept away in a flashflood in the Patiala Ki Rao rivulet on the Tanda-Koraran Road, the body of the drowned man was found in Dhanas on Tuesday, a day after his wife’s body was found in Jhampur village.

On August 15, the villagers had held a protest in Nayagaon on Monday demanding a government job for the kin of the family. (HT PHOTO )

The victims were identified as Sajjan Singh, a former panch of Tanda village, and his 36-year-old wife Sunita. The couple was swept away in the strong currents of the seasonal rivulet on August 14 around 7pm when they were trying to cross the swollen waterbody with six other people. The group of eight was holding each other’s hands while crossing the rivulet, when the couple’s 20-year-old niece lost her footing and fell into the water, the couple jumped in to save her, but drowned. The 20-year-old woman, Pooja, was rescued by the villagers.

On August 15, the villagers had held a protest in Nayagaon on Monday demanding a government job for the kin of the family. The protesters said the rivulet originated from Haryana where the government had built bridges to allow people to cross it safely, however, the Punjab government was yet to build villages, which was endangering the lives of villagers who had to cross the rivulet on a daily basis to go to work.

Kharar sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Ravinder Singh said, “I have already written to the Punjab government, seeking a compensation of ₹10 lakh for the couple’s kin.”

A car had also been washed away in the flashflood, but the four occupants in the vehicle had been rescued by the villagers.

On July 6, a cab had been swept away after a flashflood in the rivulet, claiming the lives of the two occupants.

₹12 crore project to build 5 bridges in the pipeline: DC

Mohali Deputy commissioner Amit Talwar said a proposal to construct five bridges in and around Tanda village area had been to the Punjab government for approval. The estimated cost of bridges is ₹12 crore.

The DC also said that after the July 6 incident, in which a cab had been washed away in the flooding rivulet, an advisory had been issued warning residents not to enter the rivulet while it was raining or the water level was higher than normal.

Talwar said, “Once we get approval, work will begin on the bridges after the monsoons.”