Rahul Gandhi visits flood-hit areas of Amritsar, interacts with victims

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday, 15 September, visited areas devastated by recent floods in Amritsar, meeting residents affected by the disaster and assessing the extent of the damage.

Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla, and other party leaders.

He first visited Ghonewal village in Amritsar’s Ajnala block, one of the worst-hit areas, where he sat with locals and engaged directly with those impacted by rising waters. Following this, Gandhi is scheduled to pay obeisance at the historic Gurdwara Baba Budha Sahib in Ramdas, Amritsar, and later visit flood-affected regions in Gurdaspur district.

Punjab is currently grappling with one of its worst floods in decades, triggered by swollen Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets fed by heavy rainfall in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, along with intense local rains. The disaster has claimed 56 lives and damaged crops on 1.98 lakh hectares.

On 9 September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas and announced Rs 1,600 crore in relief aid for Punjab, in addition to the Rs 12,000 crore already allocated. Earlier, Union ministers including Shivraj Singh Chouhan, L. Murugan, and B.L. Verma had also visited flood-hit areas to review the situation.

Gandhi’s visit comes amid mounting concerns over relief and rehabilitation efforts, as the state struggles to recover from extensive damage to life, property, and agriculture.

With PTI inputs