2,000 troops, 40 sorties: Army, IAF in relief ops
In one of the biggest disaster relief operations in Punjab and neighboring Himachal Pradesh and Haryana in recent years, close to 2000 Army troops have been deployed for rescue and relief work following the floods and landslides in the three states due to heavy rainfall.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) too carried more than three dozen as part of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
In total, 26 Army columns of Western Command have been activated till Friday for flood relief operations and were crucial in providing necessary assistance in Patiala, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur, Roopnagar, Mohali, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ferozepur districts in Punjab and Union Territory of Chandigarh.
An estimated 4,678 civilians have been evacuated till now, including 3,577 from Punjab alone.
A total of 69 officers, 172 JCOs, and 1,720 jawans, as part of flood relief columns, have been deployed for flood relief operations by Western Command. Army columns from Ambala, Patiala, Nabha, Sangrur, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, and several other military stations are active in Punjab and Haryana.
The IAF has, in the last 48 hours, carried out a total of 40 sorties, in which 126 people have been rescued and 17 tonnes of relief materials distributed in various areas.
Villages of Nihara, Allaudin Majra, Bishangarh, Segta, Bhunni, Mumni, Segti, and Jansui in Ambala were provided with relief materials consisting of rations, tarpaulin sheets, fresh food, and water bottles by M-17 helicopters.
In Ambala, Chaman Vatika Gurukul, a girls’ residential school, approached the Corps HQ for the evacuation of students. A column was tasked to evacuate the girls from the hostel. The students were stranded on the first floor of the school after entering the ground floor.
A column of two officers, three JCOS, and 40 jawans were deployed for their evacuation. A total of 750 students and 40 faculty staff/teachers were shifted to safe locations using boats and manpower.
The IAF has stated that air warriors and all requisite assets such as M-17 helicopters, Chinook helicopters, An-32, and C-130 transport aircraft remain on standby to undertake required operations.
Three Army columns remain deployed in Jalandhar with one column each at Shahkot Lohian (Jalandhar district), Arifke (Ferozpur district), and Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala district) in relief operations.
In Ambala, 12 columns are deployed for relief efforts while operations are in progress in the Patiala district with four columns. Two columns are deployed in Moonak (Sangrur district). In addition, one column is deployed in Panipat one in Yamunanagar, and two columns in Kaithal.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Col JS Sandhu, Advisor-Civil Military Affairs, Western Command, said the Army columns were activated after the state governments approached Western Command for help.
“The coordination and response from the respective Deputy Commissioners and Senior Superintendents of Police was one-to-one with column commanders and with higher officials at Corps HQs in Ambala and Jalandhar,” he said.
Addressing the issue of canal breaches, which are causing flooding in Punjab and Haryana, Col Sandhu said that certain breaches cannot be plugged immediately due to the high rate of water flow. “We are helping the civil administration with engineer support to plug these breaches,” he said.
In Himachal Pradesh, one column of the Army from the 136 (Independent) Infantry Brigade Group was deployed in Sangla in Kinnaur district for rescue operations and evacuated 118 persons stuck after floods.
The Western Command of the Army has also deployed an engineering team to assist civilian administration in New Delhi in opening five sluice gates which are stuck at the ITO barrage.
