Report by Ashish Puri
Two brothers, Pritpal Singh and Davinderpal Singh Hanspal, who own a company that manufactures parts for the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) in Kapurthala, have emerged as saviors for Punjabis affected by floods.
They have paused their usual rail part manufacturing work to focus on building boats — the only means to rescue people trapped in Punjab Floods.
So far, the Hanspal brothers of Hanspal Traders have built 100 boats to aid in flood relief efforts and have sent them to severely affected areas like Ajnala, Harike Pattan, Mand Baopur, Patiala, and Bathinda.
What's more, they have made the technology and design of these boats public so that other manufacturers, such as those who build agricultural equipment and combine harvesters, can also easily make similar boats to help people in their own regions.
.When the media team visited the Hanspal Traders production unit, some boats were already fully built, and workers were busy completing more.
The brothers explained that each of their small boats can easily carry 10 people and one animal. They have also designed a special “raft” with a 20-ton capacity — capable of transporting tractors, Poclains, and JCB machines.
While these boats can be motorized, due to a severe shortage of motors, they are currently being made to operate manually.
The brothers shared that during the 2023 floods in Sultanpur Lodhi, independent MLA Rana Inder Pratap Singh had requested them to start making boats — which led to the beginning of this initiative.
With many regions of Punjab once again submerged this year due to flooding, the brothers are receiving calls from across the state, including from government officials requesting help.
They mentioned that this time, they have sent 12 boats to the MLA, compared to 15 in 2023.