\n<\/p>\n
The floods in Punjab have turned once-bustling villages into islands. Families huddle on rooftops, livestock wades through chest-deep waters, and cries for help echo across submerged fields. Rescue teams battle the rising current, but the scale of devastation is overwhelming.<\/span><\/p>\n In Kapurthala, businessman Pritpal Singh Hanspal was watching these scenes unfold. Owner of Hanspal Traders, a factory that usually makes railway components, he knew he had to act. Within a week, he had transformed his factory floor into a lifeline \u2014 manufacturing 100 boats for flood-affected villages.<\/span> Hanspal Traders, located approximately 20 km from Baupur, one of the flood-hit sites, usually produces railway components such as coach seats, interiors, roofs, and side walls. But when Pritpal saw villages turning into vast lakes, something stirred within him. And he chose to put his resources to a different use.<\/span><\/p>\n Each boat, measuring 5 by 12 feet, is strong enough to carry up to 700 kg \u2014 whether people, food, medicines, rescue material, or even livestock.<\/p>\n \u201cAn entire year, I use my factory to make money. This one time, I wanted to serve the people of Punjab and our country by turning my workspace into a workshop to make boats,\u201d he tells <\/span>The Better India<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Each boat, measuring 5 by 12 feet, is strong enough to carry up to 700 kg \u2014 whether people, food, medicines, rescue material, or even livestock. Made from mild steel sheets, the boats are lightweight, durable, and easy to assemble<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThey also come with the option to attach a motor for quicker navigation during emergencies,\u201d the 53-year-old explains.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite facing a staff shortage due to the floods, Pritpal ensured the work never stopped. In just a week, his team produced 100 boats that are now being used for rescue and relief across Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Barnala, Bathinda, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Jalandhar, Mansa, Moga, and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n Much of the coordination came from local sarpanches, who guided Pritpal\u2019s team on where the boats were most urgently needed. From ferrying stranded families to delivering food and medicines, these boats have quickly become lifelines for dozens of villages.<\/span><\/p>\n Pritpal doesn\u2019t see himself as a hero. He calls it a simple act of duty. \u201cI just wanted to do my bit for Punjab,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n As floodwaters continue to rise, his decision to repurpose his rail-coach factory into a boat-making workshop stands as a reminder that compassion, when matched with action, can turn one man\u2019s idea into hope for thousands.<\/span><\/p>\n Edited by Khushi Arora.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The floods in Punjab have turned once-bustling villages into islands. Families huddle on rooftops, livestock wades through chest-deep waters, and cries for help echo across submerged fields. Rescue teams battle the rising current, but the scale of devastation is overwhelming. In Kapurthala, businessman Pritpal Singh Hanspal was watching these scenes unfold. Owner of Hanspal Traders, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10662],"tags":[20078,20077,20073,8221,4505,10852,1788,11269,20064,6874,554,20080,20072,20066,1483,20079,20063,20065,20070,20071,20075,20068,20069,601,20076,16562,15905,20067,20081,20074,286,555,522],"class_list":["post-29846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-indian-food-news","tag-amritsar-floods","tag-bathinda-floods","tag-boat-manufacturing-punjab","tag-boats","tag-built","tag-changemakers","tag-coach","tag-community-resilience","tag-disaster-relief-innovation","tag-factory","tag-flood","tag-flood-relief-boats","tag-flood-rescue-punjab","tag-flood-affected-villages","tag-floods","tag-grassroots-disaster-response","tag-gurdaspur-floods","tag-hanspal-traders","tag-humanitarian-efforts-india","tag-indian-floods-2024","tag-inspiring-flood-stories","tag-kapurthala-businessman","tag-local-heroes","tag-owner","tag-pritpal-singh-hanspal","tag-punjab","tag-punjab-floods","tag-punjab-rescue-efforts","tag-rail","tag-rail-coach-factory-boats","tag-rescue","tag-victims","tag-week"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",0,0,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",0,0,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",0,0,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",150,150,false],"medium":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",300,300,false],"large":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",1024,1024,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",1536,1536,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",2048,2048,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",370,265,false],"kava-thumb-s":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",150,85,false],"kava-thumb-s-2":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",230,230,false],"kava-thumb-m":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",400,400,false],"kava-thumb-m-vertical":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",370,500,false],"kava-thumb-m-2":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",570,450,false],"kava-thumb-l":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",1170,650,false],"kava-thumb-xl":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",1920,1080,false],"kava-thumb-masonry":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",600,999,false],"kava-thumb-justify":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",640,640,false],"kava-thumb-justify-2":["https:\/\/img-cdn.publive.online\/fit-in\/1200x675\/english-betterindia\/media\/media_files\/2025\/09\/10\/tbi-featured-image-34-2025-09-10-17-10-53.jpg",1280,640,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"#RiseCelestialStudios","author_link":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/author\/ralph-c\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"INDIAN FOOD NEWS<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"The floods in Punjab have turned once-bustling villages into islands. Families huddle on rooftops, livestock wades through chest-deep waters, and cries for help echo across submerged fields. Rescue teams battle the rising current, but the scale of devastation is overwhelming. In Kapurthala, businessman Pritpal Singh Hanspal was watching these scenes unfold. Owner of Hanspal Traders,…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29846","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29846"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29846\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29848,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29846\/revisions\/29848"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29846"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29846"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design-providers.com\/rise\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29846"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}From rail coaches to lifeboats<\/span><\/h2>\n
Boats that became lifelines<\/span><\/h2>\n
A people\u2019s effort<\/span><\/h2>\n
One man\u2019s promise to Punjab<\/span><\/h2>\n