Army conducts rescue ops in Punjab, Haryana; over 900 evacuated from private university

Chandigarh: The Army rescued 910 students and 50 others from a private university in Punjab after it was flooded with water due to heavy rains, a statement said on Monday.

The civil administration in Punjab and Haryana had earlier sought help for the rescue operation from the Army, which sent the Flood Relief columns of Army's Western Command to assist the administration in the flood affected areas of the two states.

The flood relief reconnaissance party were dispatched to the affected areas of Rupnagar, Mohali (Punjab) and Panchkula (Haryana), the statement said.

"After assessing the situation on ground, the rescue and relief columns reached the affected areas. The rescue team along with the Army engineer detachments worked throughout the (Sunday-Monday intervening) night to evacuate the stranded people and helped to prevent breaching of canals by the flood waters," it said.

The statement said that 910 students and 50 other civilians of Punjab's Chitkara University in Punjab were evacuated to safe locations.

At Araji Sabran village of Ferozepur district, 44 persons, including women and children were evacuated from the affected areas.

In a major effort, Army engineers also helped in preventing the breach of Sirhind canal by repairing the embankment, thereby preventing the flooding of Doraha village in Punjab and nearby areas.

"The Army is closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the civil administration and all the stakeholders. The Army is continuing to provide all assistance to help mitigate the hardship being faced by the citizens in affected areas," it said.

Notably, rains battered many parts of Punjab and Haryana for the third consecutive day on Monday causing flooding at many places, as authorities worked towards shifting people to safer places.