MP Randhawa Demands Clarity on ‘Administrative & Technical Failure' That Led to Flooding in Punjab
"The people deserve transparent answers and justice. I hope my letter will be taken with the seriousness it deserves,"
MP Randhawa Demands Clarity on ‘Administrative & Technical Failure’ That Led to Flooding in Punjab: Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Former Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has written to Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, raising questions over the accountability of the alleged ‘administrative and technical failure’ on the night of 26 August 2025, when 6.0 lakh cusecs of water was released from Ranjit Sagar Dam, leading to ‘unprecedented flooding’ in Amritsar and Gurdaspur.
In his letter to the Chief Minister, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa stated that only an Executive Engineer and an SDO have been suspended so far, adding, “The people of Punjab rightly ask—where does the real responsibility lie? Was it with the Secretary, Irrigation, who authorised the release, or with the Chief Engineers in charge of Ranjit Sagar Dam and Madhopur Headworks, who failed to ensure coordination and preparedness?”
“Unless this is answered, accountability will remain incomplete,” the letter read.
Randhawa has demanded clarity by posing three questions. He asked which senior officers were actually present at Ranjit Sagar Dam during the crucial hours of 26th and 27th August, when inflows and outflows were at their peak.
“What was the exact water level at the reservoir when the decision to release such a massive discharge was taken?” Randhawa questioned.
“Why was there no advance coordination with downstream structures such as Shapur Kandi Dam and Madhopur Headworks before opening the RSD floodgates? Why were the gates at Madhopur not opened in advance or at least in synchronisation with the release from RSD?” Randhawa demanded clarity on these issues.
" Suspending only juniors is not enough—real accountability must be fixed at the level of senior officials. Who was present on-site during the critical hours of Aug 26–27? Why was the Rule Curve not followed? Why was there no coordination with Madhopur? The people deserve transparent answers and justice. I hope my letter will be taken with the seriousness it deserves,"Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa wrote in a post on X.
Punjab received unprecedented inflows this year, the worst in the last nearly four decades, inundating over 2,300 villages and severely affecting the daily lives of the people. There was massive livestock loss in addition to crops and farming land being damaged in those villages.
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