SIALKOT: The district administration has started working on a makeshift iron bridge over the river Tavi near village Chaprar to reconnect the 11 flooded villages with the rest of the district as these villages had been lying disconnected for the last one week.

The villages include Salehpur, Suheli, Patwala, Patwal Kalan, Jhumiyaan Dalaalaan, Jhumiyaan Gujjaraan, Jhumiyaan Sulehriyaan, Bara Dari, Raismaan and Suhailpura.

Sialkot District Coordination Officer (DCO) Dr Asif Tufail disclosed this while briefing the Chief Minister’s Inspection Team (CMIT) during a meeting in his office here on Tuesday.

The DCO said the flood was under control in the district as all the swollen rivers and nullahs had got normal flows after week-long flash floods. He said the flow of floodwater had reduced to only 92,287 cusecs in the river Chenab, 3,347 in river Tavi at Head Marala, 1,107 cusecs in Nullah Dek at Chahoor, Pasrur, 2,727 cusecs in Nullah Aik at Oora, Sialkot, and 990 cusecs in Nullah Palkhu near Sialkot.

Mr Tufail said the floodwater had receded rapidly from the flood-hit areas and the pace of the flood relief activities had been upped there. The district administration had started the surveys to assess the loss of lives, properties, crops and cattle in the flood-hit areas where rehabilitation process would start soon, he added.

Earlier, teams of Punjab Cabinet’s Committee on Flood, led by Provincial Minister for Ushr and Zakat Malik Nadeem Kamran, Secretary Irrigation retired Captain Saif Anjum, MNA Ch Armughan Subhani and the CMIT visited Bajwat, Head Marala, Sambrial, Sialkot, Chaprar and Chahoor areas and reviewed the relief activities.

WHEELIE: Police have arrested 23 people for doing wheelie in Sialkot district, says District Police Officer Dr Abid Khan.

He told reporters on Tuesday they had launched a crackdown on wheelie performers.

STRIKE: Lawyers boycotted courts in Sialkot district on Tuesday to lodge their strong protest against the killing of their Quetta colleagues in a suicide bomb attack.

The protesting lawyers wore black armbands and also took out processions.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2016