Raghav Chadha Visits Flood-Hit Punjab District, Vows Funds Towards Relief Ops

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha visited Punjab's Gursdaspur district to assess the damage caused by flooding, which have left hundreds of people homeless and submerged vast swathes of residential areas and farmland.

The Rajya Sabha MP met those affected by the floods, while also taking stock of relief and rescue work. He also distributed relief kits and ration and assured people that repair and rehabilitation work will be taken up. "I will also be allocating funds from my MPLADS fund for the preparation of flood safety measures in vulnerable areas and towards relief work in affected villages," he wrote in a post on X.

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— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) August 29, 2025

Gurdaspur district authorities have pressed into service a drone to deliver relief material, including medicines, dry ration and water bottles to affected people in Dera Baba Nanak.

Multiple agencies joined hands to conduct rescue and relief operations in Punjab as Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets rose due to heavy rains in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, leading to heavy flooding in several districts. Overnight rains compounded the problem as flood waters did not recede.

While villages worst-affected by the floods were in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar districts, heavy rains have triggered a flood alert in Patiala as well on Friday.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed authorities of the affected districts to intensify the pace of relief and rescue measures. He is also scheduled to hold a high-level meeting in Chandigarh to take stock of the situation.

The Amritsar district administration has deployed amphibious ATOR (All Terrain Off Road) vehicles that can move through water and rugged terrain, and boats for evacuating stranded villagers.

The Patiala district administration has issued a 'high alert' warning for several low-lying villages along the Ghaggar river following heavy rainfall in its catchment area and the opening of floodgates at Sukhna lake in Chandigarh.

In Ferozepur district, 2,500 residents stuck in flood-affected villages have so far been rescued by the district administration, while 13 relief camps have been set up to shelter the displaced families

The Army, the Border Security Force, the Indian Air Force, and the National Disaster Response Force have swiftly responded to the crisis situation and are undertaking large-scale rescue operations.

Politicians Pledge Donations To Relief Fund

Mr Mann had said that his entire cabinet, all AAP MLAs and he have decided to donate their one month's salary towards flood relief efforts.

Punjab Congress MLAs too have decided to contribute one month's salary to the Chief Minister's Flood Relief Fund. The party's state chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring called the floods a "man-made disaster" and alleged that the AAP government failed to take timely action to take out water from dams. He slammed the government for its "failure" to take preventive and precautionary measures against floods which have submerged large parts of the state and caused humongous losses to crops and properties.