Indian Army rescues mother & infant from submerged building as floods cripple Punjab

THe native american ground forces on lord's day reclaimed a adult female and her 15-day-old child who were stranded on the first floor of a partially submerged building in the Dhangai village of Punjab's Gurdaspur district, as the state continues to be battered by floods.The Indian Army's Kharga Corps Sappers were on Saturday informed about the mother and her child, and after the rescue mission took them to safety through 18 kilometres of inundated terrain reuniting them with their family, reported PTI.The mother had reportedly undergone a caesarian procedure just a fortnight ago, and was stranded in the building for four days.Rescue operation by Indian armyIn a swift operation, the army personnel rescued the mother-child duo using an improvised ladder; later navigating for three kilometres through strong water current by boat and the next 15 kilometres of submerged route in an army vehicle, all the while providing them milk and water, a statement said.General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Command, Lieutenant General Manoj Katiyar earlier assessed the ground situation, reviewed relief measures and interacted with civilians, NDRF and relief columns, when he visited the flood-affected border areas.Complimenting the efforts of all stakeholders, he also reassured citizens of the army's full support in safeguarding lives and property.Relief and rescue operations by the army, NDRF, BSF, Punjab Police and district authorities continue in the affected areas.Affected individuals are evacuated to relief shelters, with the Indian Air Force (IAF) deploying helicopters to rescue stranded citizens and air-drop essential supplies. Drones are also being utilised to deliver food packets to those in inundated areas.Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Friday instructed all ministers to remain stationed in flood-affected areas until the situation is entirely under control.Floods continue to disrupt livesWaters of the swollen Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers and seasonal rivulets have being seeing a notable rise after heavy rain pummeled their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir since the last week.Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Fazilka, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur and Amritsar districts comprise the villages that are reportedly left worst-affected by the flood.The historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur next to the Ravi in Pakistan’s Narowal district was submerged in floodwater on Wednesday morning after heavy rain in the region forced the authorities to release excessive water from the Ranjit Sagar Dam in Pathankot district.The Chandigarh-Manali highway was also closed due to a landslide in Banala, with a portion of the highway being washed away as the Beas River flowed in spate.(With inputs from PTI and ANI)