Centre to send team to access floods in Punjab

■ Satluj embankment breached

The Union government has decided to send a central team to access the flood situation after getting a request from the Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh for the same. Union home secretary, Ajay Bhalla has informed the state government that a Central team to assess damage on account of floods, would also be sent to Punjab, along with 11 other flood ravaged states.

Meanwhile, the flood situation in Punjab is still critical especially in the border district of Ferozepur where an embankment of Satluj was breached.

Presiding over a highlevel meeting to review them, flood situation in Ferozepur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and Ropar districts, the chief minister directed the principal secretary, water resources, to ensure strengthening of Tendiwala embankment on war-footing to avert the flooding of nearby villages. The chief minister also directed the deputy commissioner of Ferozepur to keep NDRF teams on standby to meet any exigency arising out of the floods. Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh asked the water resources department to work out a joint action plan with the army authorities to strengthen the embankment at Tendiwala village in Ferozepur district on the Indo-Pak border.

According to deputy commissioner of Ferozepur, in 15 floodaffected villages in Makhu and Hussaniwala area, nearly 500 people had been evacuated to safer places and about 630 persons had been given necessary medical aid.