Exclusive Interview: How Amritsar DC Sakshi Sawhney battled the floods from the frontline; Watch it here
Babushahi Bureau
Amritsar (Punjab), September 13, 2025: She has been making headlines and winning hearts — not from podiums or ceremonies, but from the submerged fields and battered villages of Amritsar. IAS officer Sakshi Sawhney, the district’s first woman Deputy Commissioner, has emerged as a beacon of hope in one of Punjab’s worst flood disasters in four decades.
In an exclusive interview with Babushahi Network Editor Baljit Balli, Sawhney shared how her team has been racing against time: “We have identified 23 breaches and plugged three so far. Over 60,000 acres of farmland and 196 villages have been affected in the district.”
With both the Ravi and Beas rivers swelling above danger marks, it was the Ravi’s fury that left a trail of devastation. Recalling the tense moments after the Dhussi bandh breach, Sawhney said: “Wherever we were going, water was coming behind us.”
Swiftly mobilizing resources, the administration called in the NDRF, sought Army support, and even deployed a remarkable rescue innovation — the Specialist Mobility Vehicle (SMV) N1200 ATOR. Built in Chandigarh and donated free of cost by JSW Gecko Motors, the vehicle, which can both drive on rugged terrain and float like a boat, became a lifeline in Amritsar’s worst-hit villages.
To extend support to those in need, she shared that the district administration has launched “Sanjha Uprala” — a joint initiative where the administration, local organizations, and even Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) have come together to assist flood-affected families. “It’s a collaborative effort. Those interested in helping flood victims can reach out, and the administration will connect them with an assisting team,” DC Sakshi Sawhney said.
Speaking about the love and appreciation she has received for her ground-level work, she added humbly, “I’m just doing my job.”
She further shared that people can directly contact the administration for participation, and noted that GNDU has already adopted a village as part of the relief effort.
From late-night briefings to wading through floodwaters herself, Sawhney has been leading relief operations from the front. Her direct interactions with villagers have not only coordinated aid but also restored faith to communities staring at loss and uncertainty.
Watch her Exclusive Interview here: