In Fazilka, villagers fight over diversion of flood water

The SSP said: “Though, there were reports of stone pelting on irrigation staff in one village and we lodged FIR as well, but in the rest of the villages we are meeting village panchayats to repose faith in them and are also making them understand that water will recede as a natural process and one need not panic.”

Even after counselling by the SSP, the shopkeepers of Abohar today blocked the National Highway as they protested waterlogging inside their shops. CLP leader and area MLA Sunil Jakhar also reached the spot where tehsildar Darshan Singh explained that they were trying to pump out water with whatever resources they had.

Jakhar said: “Nearly a week had passed and still the shop and low lying colonies are waterlogged. The town is having poor disposal system because pumps don’t work during power cut and the administration is not even having enough funds to buy diesel.”

Meanwhile, the bone of contention in this town is a blocked irrigation drain, which is full of garbage and the authorities are allegedly making no effort to get it cleaned. Even as SDM Rajpal Singh had claimed that he had initiated the project, nothing was visible at the site.

At Subash Chander Nagar colony in Abohar, the poor people complained that their houses had been damaged due to rains and no relief reached them.

Jakhar said: “I spoke to Chief Minister Parkash SIngh Badal and he said that he will be sending funds and even he himself will be coming
to the area on September 15.”

Meanwhile, Badal is scheduled to visit the entire Malwa areas from September 13-15.