Chandigarh, September 26: Heavy rains and subsequent floods in Punjab caused infrastructural damage worth ₹7.7 crore across 19 government colleges, a report from the Department of Higher Education has revealed.
Patiala, Ludhiana, and Gurdaspur were the hardest hit, while Amritsar, Rupnagar, Ferozepur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, SAS Nagar, Muktsar Sahib, and SBS Nagar also reported significant damage.
Government College, Ajnala, suffered the most, with seepage, a collapsed boundary wall, and damage to staff quarters resulting in losses estimated at ₹2.4 crore. SCD Government College, Ludhiana, followed closely with ₹1.4 crore in damages caused by seepage and leakage in departments, the administrative block, and the auditorium.
The floods forced all colleges and universities in the state to shut down from September 1 to September 7.
Harpreet Singh Sudan, Director of Public Instructions (Higher Education), said, “The budget was prepared by the department and presented to the Prime Minister during his visit to the state. However, we have not received any payment as of now. Whenever we receive the funds, they will be disbursed to the affected colleges.”
Officials noted that the assessment report aims to prioritise repair work once funds are released, with a focus on restoring classrooms, staff accommodations, and essential infrastructure before the academic schedule is fully resumed.
