Rahul Gandhi to visit flood-hit Punjab today

Chandigarh: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday will visit the flood-ravaged areas in Punjab on Monday, party sources said.

During a day-long visit, Gandhi will be visiting flood-affected areas in Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts, the sources said on Sunday.

Gandhi, who is the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, will also be meeting the flood-affected families during his visit to the state, which is battling its worst deluge since 1988.

Punjab faced one of its worst flood disasters in decades. The floods were a result of swollen Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi rivers along with seasonal rivulets caused by heavy rainfall in their catchment areas in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Besides, heavy rains in Punjab had also intensified the flooding situation.

The death toll because of the floods presently stands at 56 while crops on 1.98 lakh hectares were damaged.