Cabinet Minister Harjot Singh Bains launches ‘Operation Rahat’ from Nangal; MLAs take charge of district-level campaigns
Chandigarh, September 8
The Punjab Government has further intensified efforts to provide immediate relief to lakhs of people in thousands of villages affected by the devastating floods. In order to protect lives and property, coordinated efforts are being made at a large scale with the active participation of ministers, MLAs, volunteers, and district administrations.
Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains today launched “Operation Rahat” from Nangal. This 10-day campaign is dedicated to the relief and rehabilitation of flood-affected families. He also inaugurated the “Aao Apne Pind Da Sarkari School Saaf Kariye “ (Let Us Clean Our Village Government Schools) campaign from Government Senior Secondary School, Sarsa Nangal, urging village panchayats, youth clubs and school management committees to actively participate in the cleanliness drive.
The Minister said that nearly 20,000 government schools across Punjab had remained closed due to floods for the past several days. These schools have now been opened for cleaning and will reopen for students from September 9. He said that if any building was found unsafe, the matter should be immediately reported to the Deputy Commissioner, SDM, or the engineering wing concerned.
Minister Bains further announced that his family would personally contribute ₹5 lakh towards flood relief and undertake repairs of 50 damaged houses. He added that teams of Aam Aadmi Party volunteers have been dispatched to villages to provide door-to-door medical assistance for both people and livestock.
At Jalalabad, MLA Jagdeep Kamboj Goldy distributed cattle feed at village Jodha Bhaini. He thanked Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for enhancing compensation for damaged crops and houses and for granting farmers the right to retain and sell sand deposited on their land due to floods. He said this step would benefit farmers and added that the government would also compensate for damage to houses, with girdawari already ordered.
In Fazilka, MLA Narinderpal Singh Sawna provided a new boat to residents of village Mahatam for transporting relief materials. “In this difficult hour, I stand firmly with my people,” he said.
Meanwhile, under the directions of Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh, the Fazilka Health Department issued special advisories to prevent snakebite cases. Civil Surgeon Dr. Raj Kumar and Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr. Rohit Goel advised people to immediately take snakebite victims to government hospitals, where free treatment is available. They stressed there is no need to panic and reminded residents that ambulances can be accessed through helpline 108. Deputy Commissioner Amarpreet Kaur Sandhu informed that so far, 10,874 ration kits and 5,890 bags of cattle feed have been distributed and 4,235 people have been shifted to safer places in the district.
From Hoshiarpur, Deputy Commissioner-cum-President of District Red Cross Society, Ashika Jain, stated that alongside government efforts, several NGOs, companies and philanthropists are also stepping forward to extend assistance to flood-affected families
