Punjab floods: Amid disaster, rail parts maker switches to boats

KAPURTHALA: Kapurthala-based Hanspal Traders, a company that typically manufactures railway coach components, has shifted its operation to fabricating boats to aid in the Punjab flood relief efforts.The company, which supplies parts to the Rail Coach Factory, has also made its boat designs and techniques public to encourage others, involved in making agricultural appliances or combine harvesters, to join the cause. During the 2023 floods in Sultanpur Lodhi, independent MLA Rana Inder Partap Singh urged them to make boats. This year, as floodwaters once again submerged parts of the state, brothers Pritpal Singh Hanspal and Devinder Pal Singh Hanspal were flooded with calls from different parts of the state, including govt officials.

The MLA said he had commissioned 12 boats from the company this year, in addition to the 15 he ordered in 2023.

"Earlier, I got a berra (big boat) made with a 20-tonne capacity. We are using all resources to bring stranded people, their cattle and appliances to safety, and to take relief material to them," he said. Speaking to TOI on Wednesday, the Hanspal brothers said that their boats can carry 10 people, while a specially-designed 'berra', which can help farmers take out their cattle or agricultural appliances, has a 20-tonne capacity.

"After we were flooded with calls, following a report by a Punjabi YouTube channel, we decided to make our designs public. We are not doing this for profit, but to help people battle the crisis. We rather want manufacturers of agri appliances or combine harvesters to start making these as they already have the necessary equipment," said Pritpal. Devinder Pal said he received hundreds of calls from across the state on Wednesday alone. "This is a simple technique. We want other people to make these boats," he said, adding that they planned to complete 100 boats by Thursday. The brothers said that while the boats can be used with a motor, they are currently producing them for manual use due to a lack of available motors.