Red alert in Punjab; schools, colleges shut

Chandigarh: Normal life was thrown out of gear in Punjab due to incessant rains, prompting the state government to issue red alert and order closure of educational institutions on Tuesday even as the Army remains on alert.

The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) issued an advisory Monday to the Punjab government that it will release “excess” water from the Pong dam in the wake of incessant rains in catchment area of the Beas river.

While reviewing flood-like situation triggered by continuous rains in the state, chief minister Amarinder Singh put the Army on alert to help the state deal with any eventuality.

Fearing damage to kharif crops because of widespread downpour, the state government also ordered a special ‘girdawari’ to assess crop damage.

Rains are likely to lash isolated places in Punjab and Haryana Tuesday, though it will recede thereafter, an official of the Chandigarh Meteoro-logical Department said.  Punjab has been witnessing widespread rains for the last two days and the downpour continued on Monday as well.

Chandigarh recorded 63.8 mm of rainfall Monday. The maximum temperature settled at 23 degrees Celsius, 10 notches below normal. Patiala was the wettest in the region with 86 mm of downpour, followed by Ludhiana at 57 mm.

In Haryana, Ambala recorded 53 mm of rainfall. The maximum temperature was 25.2 degrees Celsius. Train services were also affected due to waterlogging in some districts.

Amritsar-New Delhi, Delhi-Amritsar, New Delhi-Jalandhar, New Delhi-Intercity express were cancelled while Bathinda-Jammutawi and Jammutwa-Bathinda were diverted in the wake of waterlogging in Punjab’s Amritsar district, the officials said.

The wter level in rivers and rivulets, including the Ghaggar, rose following rains. In Amritsar, a large section of Mall Road near municipal corporation’s office caved in while a portion of flyover in Patiala collapsed.