Six months after the floods in the Ravi, life is yet to return to normal for residents of villages situated along its banks here.
In Ghonewalah village of Ajnala block, one of the worst-affected areas, residents alleged that government relief and compensation had been only partially distributed, while damaged infrastructure remained largely unattended.
Residents claimed that no substantial initiative had been taken up to repair damaged public assets.
The government elementary school in Ghonewalah stands as a stark reminder of official neglect.
After its boundary walls collapsed during the floods, dirty water from a nearby pond has accumulated in the school ground, where students play during the school break.
The outer walls of the school, which were washed away, have not been rebuilt. Inside the classrooms, flood marks remain etched on the walls, and a persistent foul smell hangs in the air.
Villagers point out that senior government and district administration officials frequently pass by the road outside the school, yet no effort has been made to restore it.
In the same village, Gurmeet Kaur is awaiting government assistance to rebuild the boundary wall of her house.
Some villagers said the government provided compensation at the rate of Rs 20,000 per acre for crop damage. They added that Rs 1.2 lakh was given for fully damaged houses and Rs 40,000 for the repair of partially damaged homes.
However, Davinder Kaur contradicted the claims, alleging that she had not received any compensation for the losses suffered. “The walls of our house collapsed, the floors sank, and our paddy crop was completely destroyed. Government officials visited and recorded the damage, but we have not received any compensation,” she said.
Another villager, Kamal Kaur, claimed that six of her cows died in the floods and paddy crop on 25 acres was destroyed, yet she received no financial assistance from the authorities. The delay in river embankment repair was another complaint. “If the river swells again next year, we fear the same situation,” one of them said.
On November 22 last year, Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal had claimed that cheques for Rs 9.5 crore were distributed among 2,355 flood-affected families across 47 villages. Despite repeated attempts, he remained unavailable for comments