PATIALA: Predictions of a good. monsoon are dampening news for people in this city who have grim memories of the devastating flood that claimed 125 lives last year. Incessant rains for four days during the second week of July had created havoc with more than 80% of the area getting submerged under four to 10 feet of water. Last year’s floods were the worst in a century.
Since a good monsoon is expected this year too for the eight year in succession the residents fear a repeat of the catastrophe. The section of the erstwhile royal family of Patiala and NLA Capt. Amrinder Singh has filed a public interest writ in the Punjab and Haryana High Court demanding that the government take preventive measures before the onset of the monsoons. The Congress rebel and former chief whip of the party Bir Devinder Singh had hunched a Patiala bachan agitation. Both leaders maintain that the government has done little to ward off the impending crisis and Patiala has been left at the mercy of the rain gods
The floods last year were attributed to poor maintenance of chirti and badi nadis (rivulets) the two lines of defence against floods and the Jacob drain known as gandanala. A dozen dreline machines are working overtime to destilt them the weak where breaches had occurred last time are being strengthened As many as 4000 trees in the nadis been cut down to ensure free flow of water Plaguing of breaches and delisting operations are in full swing but are unlikely to be completed before the monsoons hit the State. Nothing had been done til March this year and the first grant of Rs 5 core for preventive measures was released only in April. The fear psychosis among the residents therefore is hardly unfounded as the administration would like to believe.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 1, 1994
