NEW DELHI: Team India hockey stars Rupinder Pal Singh and Gurwinder Singh Chandi, along with former player Jugraj Singh, are now involved in a very different kind of ‘field work’ — relief and rescue operations in flood-hit Punjab. The state is battling one of its worst floods in decades, with more than 1,900 villages across 23 districts submerged. Over 40 people have died and more than 3.5 lakh have been affected.Legendary drag-flicker Jugraj Singh (SP HQ), Rupinder Pal Singh (Assistant Commissioner, Under Training), and forward Gurwinder Singh Chandi (DSP, Kalanaur) are working on rescue and relief in Gurdaspur district.Jugraj said that BSF, Army, police, local administration, and NDRF are all working together “on a war footing.”“Rescue operation was the priority and then providing ration, medicines and other basic necessities. Now medical camps are being organized to deal with the threat of spread of diseases, and are being done with teams of doctors and NGOs,” the ace full back told PTI.Jugraj, a key figure in India’s Junior World Cup 2001 triumph and the 2002 Busan Asian Games silver medal win before a 2003 car accident cut short his career, stressed the importance of discipline in the field. “Our job is to see that there is no fight over ration and that the essentials reach the needy at the right time,” he said.He added that being a sportsperson helps in such situations. “The skill of taking quick decisions on the field is coming in handy here. Apart from this, a player sees lot of ups and downs, which makes him mentally and physically very strong and that is very important in such a situation,” he said.Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist and penalty-corner specialist Rupinder Pal Singh said this was a completely new experience for him. He is part of the team working in a cluster of eight to nine villages in Dinanagar subdivision, where more than 1,500 people have been evacuated since August 26.“The Gurdaspur district administration took very swift action after the floods. In my area, there are many villages like Makora, Marada, Kahna, Abadi Chandigarh, Jago Chak etc on the banks of river Ravi. Ravi and Ujh rivers meet here and this is where the flood waters started coming in. Some villages are along the Pakistan border also,” said Rupinder, who scored 125 goals in 223 matches for India between 2010 and 2021.He recalled how difficult the first days were: “For the first three days, even the tractors and trolleys could not move. On the first day, the SDM, DSP and I were stuck in a village where there was water all around. We stayed at the house of an acquaintance in that village. The youths of the village helped a lot. Whenever we were asked we would reach with tractors and trolleys.”Rupinder said initially many people didn’t know he had played hockey for India, but once word spread, more local youth joined the relief effort. “We evacuated 1500 people in Dinanagar sub division and about 6000 people have been evacuated in entire Gurdaspur. There has not been a single death there but there has been loss of livestock,” he said.One particular incident left him shaken. “There was water up to three to four feet above the height of a sugarcane and we had to reach there with the NDRF team by boat. I was scared that day but the NDRF team kept encouraging us. We reached those people by going against the flow of water,” he said, recalling how four family members were stranded on their rooftop as the Ravi overflowed.Gurwinder Singh Chandi, who represented India in 97 matches including the 2012 London Olympics, stressed the importance of teamwork. “An old man was bitten by a snake in Kotla Mugala and was taken to a doctor. Apart from this, there was a girl’s wedding, who was taken from a village in Kalanaur to the wedding venue. A pregnant woman was also taken to a safe place where she delivered the next day,” he said.Looking ahead, Jugraj pointed out that the toughest challenge lies in the aftermath of the floods. “We go to the flood-affected areas early in the morning. Then we see how much material is there for distribution and then a listing is done as to where there is maximum need. After gradation, we sent the material for distribution. So much relief material is coming from all over Punjab but the real challenge is to deliver it to the people,” he said.“The entire crop has been destroyed and it will take one and a half to two years to make the land of poor farmers cultivable again. Apart from this, there is the challenge of resettling the homeless people,” Jugraj added.
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