CHANDIGARH (PTI): Continuing rains worsened the flood situation in the northern state of Punjab. The monsoon fury which engulfed northern India has been especially harsh on Punjab which has had to bear the brunt. More than 300 lives have been lost in the state while numerous regions stand isolated and cut off awaiting relief.

The swollen Sutlej broke the banks near Machhiwara in Ludhiana district submerging vast areas. The situation continued to be grim in Ferozepore, Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts and Patiala remained cut off from rest of the country but Ropar had become accessible.

Entire Punjab and Himachal Pradesh remained cut off by rail from the rest of the country. Landslides in the Himalayan areas and flood waters in the plains totally paralyzed traffic in many places.

About 350 villages in Punjab are severely affected by the floods even as relief and rescue operations were on to put the ravaged state back to normalcy,

Hundred and two villages in Mansa district were under Wow to seven feet of water while about 40 villages in Ajnala, Tarn Taran, Lopoke and Ramdass areas of Amritsar district were inundated, official sources said.

About 190 villages were flooded in Ferozepur district, 11 villages were severely affected in Gurdaspur district and 10in Philaur and Lohian areas.

Water level of all major rivers in the state including the Suttlel and Ghaggar in Ludhiana district was about danger level.

Punjab has been cut off by railway from the rest of the country since last Week due to extensive damage of the rail tracks following heavy rains.

Seven bridges were washed away and 10 kilometers of railway track damaged in Punjab following heavy downpour on July 1011. These were reported to be the worst floods in 50 years.

Four express trains and two passenger trains were marooned between Rajpura and Sarai banjara as both the situations were eat off by inundating waters.

The railway authorities with the help of the army have rescued 5,000 Passengers from marooned trains.

The railways so far suffered a damage of Rs 20 million in properly and a daily loss Of Rs 8 million in revenue, The loss is likely 16 go up as several kilometers of tracks are still submerged.

Article extracted from this publication >>  July 23, 1993