Punjab: Akali Dal distributes relief in flood-hit areas

Chandigarh, Sep 2 (IANS) Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Tuesday announced the flood relief centre established by the party in Jalandhar had started functioning and would serve as the nodal point for distribution of relief material to flood-affected areas in Punjab.

Giving details, the SAD President said the flood relief centre had been established at Harinder Farms and anyone desirous of seeking relief material should contact the centre staff at the following numbers -- 81958-22222 and 95012-87100.

Badal also urged the Akali cadre as well as Punjabis to liberally donate relief material for the centre.

He said all those wishing to donate material could also contact the relief centre for this purpose. He announced that the Muktsar district unit led by Kanwarjit Singh Barkandi had donated Rs 11 lakh to the centre to conduct flood-relief measures.

The Ludhiana unit, led by Parupkar Singh Ghuman, has donated three trolleys of medicine and medicines to the centre. Badal also thanked the Shiromani committee for rising to the occasion and establishing medical camps in flood-affected areas, which will be manned by the Guru Ramdas Medical University in Amritsar.

Meanwhile, following a video appeal by the people of the Balachaur constituency, who complained that the state administration was not helping them, the SAD President dispatched 1,000 litres of diesel as well as tractors and earth-moving machinery to assist in strengthening the bund at Auliapur and Dhangar villages on the Sutlej river.

SAD Nawanshahr district president Sukhdeep Singh Sukar delivered the material at the bundh site.

Meanwhile, in other relief operations, ration trucks have reached Fazilka and Dera Baba Nanak. Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal has provided 2,000 litres of diesel to strengthen the Ghaggar at vulnerable points in Mansa, besides two ration trucks, while Patiala district rural president Jagmeet Singh Hariau has donated 500 litres of diesel to strengthen the bund at Arnetu on the Ghaggar river.

Also, 40 trolleys, which had been donated by the people of Gurdaspur led by Gurbanchan Singh Babehali, and a hundred trolleys of material donated by Kamaljit Chawal and Naresh Mahajan of Deenanagar had been distributed in flood-hit areas. One truck of rations from Mohali has been dispatched to Fazilka.

--IANS

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