Sultanpur Lodhi, October 20: For hundreds of villagers in Sultanpur Lodhi, this Diwali has little to celebrate. Nearly two months after the overflowing Beas river wreaked havoc across the Mand area, many families are still without homes and struggling to rebuild their lives.
Over 100 villages, including Rampur Gaura, Baupur, Sangra, and Mohemmadabad, were marooned when the river burst its banks earlier this year. Rampur Gaura, one of the worst-hit and sparsely populated villages, saw nine of its twelve houses destroyed.
“Diwali has no meaning when you’re staying at someone else’s home,” said Gurnishan Singh, whose pregnant wife was evacuated just before their house collapsed. He, along with his wife and two daughters, now lives in Nabipur village, while his parents and brother are staying in Saruwal — both families hosted temporarily by Good Samaritans.
Gurnishan said construction of a new house at Passan Kadim has begun, but progress is slow. “Our income vanished after floodwaters destroyed crops on nine acres,” he added.
While seven displaced families have been allocated land for resettlement, most flood victims say they are still waiting for the ₹1.20 lakh compensation announced by the state government.
Paramjit Singh, a local coordinating relief work, said efforts to plug the breach near Rampur Gaura have failed to hold due to the strong current of the Beas. “Another house is on the verge of collapse,” he said.
For many here, Diwali will be spent under borrowed roofs — a festival dimmed by loss but lit faintly by hope and neighbourly kindness.
