Haryana-Punjab Floods

Over two dozen villages in Ludhiana district were also flooded. Punjab Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal alerted district administrations to keep vigil on vulnerable areas in the state.

There was three four feet of water at many places in Ambala district that led to the disruption in power supply at many places and paralysed normal life. It was due to the heavy rain during the last two three days but now we have controlled the situation, said Ambala Deputy Commissioner S.P. Srow. Due to the flood like situation in Ambala and Shahabad towns, the evening Delhi Chandigarh Kalka Shatabdi was stopped midway leaving scores of passengers, including women and children, in the lurch. Due to heavy rains during the past few days, water has been flowing above the danger mark in the Tangri river in Ambala and there was water on the tracks.

Hundreds of harried passengers were stranded at railway stations in Punjab and Haryana Tuesday as many trains were cancelled or delayed due to excessive rains. Road and air traffic was also badly hit.

The national highway connecting Chandigarh and New Delhi was under water near Lalru town in Punjab and at Shahabad town in Haryana.Heavy rains also affected air traffic and most flights at Chandigarh airport were delayed.

Buses, trains and other vehicles were stranded and the situation is fast turning grim for those along riverine areas in the three states. While small rivulets like Tangri near Ambala and Markanada were flowing way above the danger mark, the bigger rivers, the Sutlej in Himachal and Beas along Kulu Manali, too, have turned menacing. The Army was called to help evacuate people in Kurukshetra and Shahbad. Ghaggar and Rugn in Punjab as well as Haryana are also threatening to break their banks.

Heavy rains have led to floods in several parts of the region with the army being called out in Kurukshetra and Ambala districts. Major breaches in rivers and canals led to flooding of vast areas, disrupting traffic and electricity supply.

With unrelenting rains over the past 36 hours, the three northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have got all but cut off from the rest of the country, with most major roads and rail tracks flooded and unusable.