Uttarakhand toll may run into several thousands, CM terms it as Himalayan tsunami
Dehradun/Rishikesh/Joshimath, Jun 19: The terrible magnitude of nature's fury in Uttarakhand unfolded today as the death toll rose to 150 with fears that it may go up substantially as large parts remained under water while
The rain and flood situation in Uttarakhand is quite serious and unprecedented, chief of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) today said here.
DG Ajay Chadha said rescue operations will gather pace as the weather has improved today and three battalions of the force (about 3,000 troops) deployed in the state have rescued thousands of people.
“Things are quite unprecedented in Uttarakhand. Situation is grim and quite serious. A number of factors have contributed to this situation like avalanche, cloud burst and continuous rains,” Chadha said before leaving for an aerial review of the state along with Union Home Secretary R K Singh and other ministry officials.
About 4,000 people have been rescued by the force from the Govindghat area, he said.
He said it would be difficult to give an exact number as to how many people have been stranded and rescued as a number of agencies are operating.
Additional reinforcements are ready, if required, for Uttarakhand or Himachal Pradesh where the situation is “not so serious”.
The famous Kedarnath shrine located in the Himalayan ranges in rain-ravaged Uttarakhand is now safe but will remain out of bounds for at least one year, said the state Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna today.
“I don't think we can resume the Yatra there for one year. 18 km of the road has been damaged and Kedarnath is in debris. The temple has been saved but there is eight to ten feet of debris all around,” said Bahuguna. He reiterated that there was lot of deris around the shrine, dedicated to Lord Shiva, and it would require at least one year to clear it.
“Kedarnath shrine will remain out of bounds for pilgrims for one year,” said the chief minister. He also announced that Rudraprayag was the worst affected district and about 500 roads and 175 bridges in Uttarakhand have been washed out in the flash flood. One of the two helipads in Kedarnath has been washed away due to which helicopters are making sorties to rescue people from one helipad, said Bahugana.
“The magnitude of the devastation could not be gauged as such a flood has been experienced in 100 years. Roads between Gaurikund and Kedarnath have been washed out, Rambada has been totally ravaged,” the Chief Minister told reporters.
Many of the roads are in bad shape due to which army jawans and other paramilitary personnel are unable to reach the stranded tourists and pilgrims, said Bahuguna, adding that there is “anger among the people but we are doing our best”.
“There are some places where army and paramilitary personnel have reached the stranded people and provided them food packets but still there are many places where it is impossible to reach even by helicopter, so we appeal to the villagers in those areas to provide food and water to the stranded pilgrims and tourists,” he said.
Making an appeal to corporate houses to join the relief work, Bahuguna said they should come forward and join hands in the relief operations.
Parts of Uttarakhand experienced flash floods triggered by incessant rains over the past three days which has left 150 people dead and thousands others, most of them tourists and pilgrims, stranded. The Prime Minister and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi undertook an aerial survey of the rain-affected regions.
Pictures of the Kedarnath temple, one of the holiest of the Hindu shrines, in today's newspapers had raised concerns over the safety of the shrine.
Located in the Himalayas at a height of 3584 meters near the Chorabari glacier, the Kedarnath temple is a popular destination for Hindu pilgrims from all over the world.
Over 10,000 personnel of the armed forces, 18 helicopters and a transport plane of the Air Force have been deployed for relief and rescue operations in the state where thousands have been stranded at tourist spots and pilgrim centres.