In Punjab’s Gurdaspur, students among 400 evacuated from flood-hit Jawahar Navodaya

As many as 381 students and around 70 teachers, along with their family members, were rescued from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Daburri in Gurdaspur district after the swollen Ravi submerged the school campus with floodwaters reaching as high as 5-6 feet.

The ground floor of the buildings was completely submerged in the floodwater.

District administration teams, with the support of BSF, NDRF, and humanitarian organisation Khalsa Aid, with the cooperation of local people, managed to rescue the students from the hostels and school staff in an overnight operation, after the worried parents raised an alarm and an urgent message for assistance was sent by the school principal.

As the water level rose, the students were shifted to the second floor of the school building. The Punjab government had declared holidays in all the schools across the state till August 30.

Deputy commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh said that soon after the school principal called the control room helpline seeking assistance, teams were dispatched for the rescue.

“The administration immediately dispatched teams for the rescue of the students and teachers. Since the school premises were surrounded by floodwaters, the BSF and NDRF teams managed to reach the spot on boats and safely evacuated all the students and teachers from the school,” the DC said.

Teams of Khalsa Aid also reached the school on boats, while the local farmers rushed to the school on tractor-trailers and also evacuated the trapped persons.

The DC said that the district education officer (secondary), Gurdaspur, has issued a show-cause notice to the principal for gross negligence.

In the notice, a copy of which is with HT, the principal has been asked to explain why the students were not sent home despite the state government declaring holidays in all the schools.

The DC further said that repeated warnings had been issued that floodwaters could affect areas near the Ravi. “Putting the lives of students at such grave risk by ignoring these instructions is unacceptable,” he said in a statement.

The DC said compared to yesterday, the water level of the Ravi has receded, and the conditions are expected to improve in the coming days.

The district administration complex in Pathankot is submerged with the floodwater entering the offices. Rescue teams had to be called to evacuate the staff working there.

Meanwhile, several breaches in the dhussi bundh embankments were reported during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

Except for Dera Baba Nanak town, all the surrounding villages, including area of Kartarpur corridor, are submerged under water.

In the Dinanagar sub-division of the district, road connectivity has been snapped at several places, with Dera Baba Nanak town also cut off.

In Gurdaspur, BSF rescue teams conducted a special operation in villages Makora and Chakmakoda, evacuating 70 villagers to safety with the help of inflatable boats.

Ajnala and Ramdas blocks of Amritsar district, which are situated along the Ravi, have also borne the brunt of floodwater. A breach occurred in the dhusi bundh in Ajnala at 8 am on Wednesday, after which the water inundated at least 20 villages. Amritsar deputy commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, along with NDRF teams, rushed to the area to start the rescue and relief work. Teams from the police and BSF were also called in. The rescue operation was ongoing till the filing of this report.

Madhopur headworks: 1 floodgate collapses; 60 staffers airlifted, one missing

Amritsar

The Indian Air Force airlifted 60 irrigation officials, who were deployed to open the gates of the Madhopur barrage in Pathankot district on Wednesday, officials said, adding that one of the staff members was missing. According to reports, one floodgate of Madhopur headworks, situated on the Ravi, on the border of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in Pathankot district, were washed away by the floodwater.

“Nearly 60 staffers were left stranded, and the army chopper came to rescue them,” Pathankot deputy commissioner Aditya Uppal confirmed.

He also said that efforts are ongoing to locate the missing staffer, adding, “The search operation is active. Our teams are on-site, and we have informed everyone downstream to help in the search.”

The Madhopur Headworks has a total of 54 flood gates that control the flow of water. On Tuesday, the water flow through the headworks was measured at 200,000 cusecs, which has since decreased to 62,000 cusecs.

DC Uppal said that the water level in Sujanpur city has receded. “Rescue and relief operations are underway in the affected villages,” the DC said, urging the public not to panic and contact the control room for assistance.

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