Overview
- Two of 54 floodgates at the Madhopur headworks failed on August 27 during high inflows from the Ranjit Sagar Dam, worsening flooding in Pathankot, Gurdaspur and nearby areas, with one department employee confirmed dead and several personnel airlifted.
- Following a principal secretary’s probe report, the state suspended executive engineer Nitin Sood, SDO Arun Kumar and JE Sachin Thakur and initiated a departmental inquiry tied to maintenance and operations at the headworks.
- The Water Resources Department has issued a notice to Level9 Biz Private Limited over a 2024 flood‑routing report the government says asserted 6.25 lakh cusecs could be safely passed, while the firm counters that structural health certification was not within its scope.
- The Union Home Ministry has classified the Punjab floods as of severe nature and asked the state to submit a comprehensive damage assessment within three months, paving the way for inter‑ministerial evaluation of central relief.
- Political scrutiny has intensified, with BJP president Sunil Jakhar demanding a judge‑led inquiry and Gurdaspur MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa seeking a high‑level probe and senior‑level accountability as conflicting discharge figures continue to be contested.