PATIALA – Union Minister Raksha Nikhil Khadse recently visited flood-affected villages in Patiala to assess the damage caused to roads and infrastructure. During her visit, she stated that the Central government would release funds for the recarpeting and maintenance of rural roads covered under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). Khadse, however, made it clear that the state government would be responsible for repairing other rural roads that do not fall under the PMGSY. This division of responsibility highlights the complex issue of Patiala flood road damage.
Khadse directed the Deputy Commissioner of Patiala to submit a detailed report on the extent of the road damage at the earliest. “I have asked the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, to submit a report at the earliest so that roads covered under the PMGSY can be taken up for repair work. The state, meanwhile, will have to ensure the restoration of the remaining roads under its jurisdiction,” she said.
Residents of villages along the Ghaggar river, including Sarala Kalan and Sarala Khurd, expressed their frustration, pointing out that roads damaged in the 2023 floods were never repaired. This year’s floods, they said, have completely washed away roads at several points, leaving behind only narrow strips of land for movement.
Makhan Singh, a farmer, riding his bicycle through a broken stretch, vented his anger against the government. “After the 2023 floods, the road was in a dilapidated condition. We had urged the authorities to recarpet it and strengthen its edges, but nothing was done,” he said. The situation is no different in Sirkapra, Mangoli, Untsar, Kami Khurd and Chamaru villages, where roads are equally bad. Another resident, Baljit Singh, said commuting on these broken roads has become very risky, especially at night. Satnam Singh, an eighty-year-old resident, expressed his worries as well. With a family wedding scheduled in October, he said, “My crop has already been destroyed, and now our village is cut off because of the damaged road.”