Chandigarh [India], September 16 : With the Punjab Government's intensive cleanliness drive, fogging and spraying operations aimed at preventing the outbreak of diseases, life is steadily moving back on track in flood-affected areas. The Cabinet Ministers today visited affected regions to oversee the ongoing relief measures launched under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, according to a release issued by the Information and Public Relations Department, Punjab.
Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains visited the Tarapur and Kiratpur Sahib villages of his constituency under 'Operation Rahat' and reviewed the relief measures. He also inspected the damage caused to residential houses due to rainwater flowing down from the Shivalik foothills into the seasonal rivulets. The Minister also took stock of the embankment work at the historic Gurdwara Baba Gurditta Ji. Bains contributed Rs. 50,000 towards the diesel expenses of tractors and other vehicles engaged in the voluntary relief service under Operation Rahat, the official release said.
Meanwhile, under the supervision of Cabinet Minister Lal Chand Kataruchak, a cleanliness drive was conducted in 10 flood-affected villages - Skol, Dhinda/Bhupalpur, Kotli Jawahar, Palah, Ghola, Kot Bhattian, Balotar, Sarota, Danwal and Khojki Chak. The campaign covered removal of stagnant water, spraying, fogging and awareness drives to motivate residents for maintaining hygiene. Cabinet Minister Kataruchak informed that each flood-hit village will be provided Rs. 1 lakh as the first instalment by the Punjab Government for cleanliness measures.
During his visit to Radhalke, Ram Singh Wala and Muthianwala villages of Patti constituency, Cabinet Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar launched a cleanliness campaign, reiterating that the drive will continue until all flood-affected areas are completely cleaned. The Health Department is consistently conducting fogging and anti-larvae spraying across all affected regions of the state, said the release.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Minister Hardeep Singh Mundian informed that as per the latest assessment till September 16, the number of villages affected has marginally increased from 2,472 to 2,483, with the population affected rising from 3,89,176 to 3,89,258. The Cabinet Minister said that a positive development has been witnessed in relief measures as the number of active relief camps has significantly reduced from 66 to 41, with the inmates also coming down from 3,449 to 1,945, reflecting improvement in the ground situation, the release said.