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News Topical, Digital Desk : Rescue teams recovered a body from the debris in the disaster-hit Dharali village of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand on Wednesday, while 190 people have been evacuated safely in the relief and search operation going on amid heavy rains. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took stock of the situation by conducting an aerial survey of the flood-affected area and meanwhile Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to him over the phone and inquired about the situation.
About half the village was destroyed in the massive flood in the Kheerganga river due to cloudburst on Tuesday afternoon. Dharali is located about 20 km before Gangotri Dham and is a major stop on the yatra. The roads leading to Dharali are blocked due to landslides, making it difficult to reach the people trapped there. According to information received from the Uttarkashi District Emergency Operation Center, a body has been recovered from the debris, which has been identified as 32-year-old Akash Panwar, a resident of Dharali.
According to a government press release issued by the Uttarakhand government, four people died in the devastating floods. According to locals, more than 50 people may be missing in the floods as the sudden influx of water did not give people a chance to reach safe places. The missing people also include 11 soldiers from an army camp affected in nearby Harshil. The district center said that currently there are about 400 pilgrims in Gangotri Dham, who are safe.
Dharali is about 140 km away from Dehradun
According to Mohsin Shahidi, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), three teams of the federal contingency force are on their way to Dharali but are unable to reach there as the Rishikesh-Uttarkashi highway is blocked by continuous landslides. Dharali is about 140 km from Dehradun and it usually takes five hours to reach there by road.
Shahidi told reporters in Delhi that two NDRF teams are to be airlifted from Dehradun but bad weather is creating hurdles in this. He said that teams of Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are engaged in rescue operations in the affected area and about 150 people have been evacuated.
The team is waiting for the road to open in Twadi
Shahidi said that he has received information that four people have died and 50 others are missing in the disaster. An official of the District Emergency Operation Center in Uttarkashi said that the Gangotri National Highway is blocked by landslides at several places and a joint team of more than 200 rescue workers is waiting for the road to open at Bhatwadi.
He said that a bridge built on Limchha Gad Barsati Nala ahead of Ganganani on Gangotri National Highway was washed away in the flood, due to which a team of rescue workers going to Dharali got stuck on the way. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi spoke to Dhami over the phone and inquired about the natural disaster in Dharali and the rescue and relief operations going on there. Dhami told the Prime Minister that the state government is engaged in rescue and relief operations with full readiness but some difficulties are being faced due to continuous heavy rains. He told the Prime Minister that all the concerned agencies are working in coordination so that the victims can get immediate assistance.
CM Dhami gave instructions to expedite the relief work
The Chief Minister surveyed the flood-affected area from a helicopter. After that, he thoroughly reviewed the relief and rescue operations from the Uttarkashi Disaster Control Room. Dhami also took information about the situation from senior administrative officials of the state and army representatives and instructed them to expedite the relief work.
Dhami told PTI-Video, "Rescue operations are being carried out at a fast pace. Army, ITBP and SDRF teams have reached the spot. About 70-80 people have been rescued... a road is blocked. District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police level officers have left for the spot. It is a challenging situation as it is still raining there."
Dhami said that food and medicines have been arranged and 160 policemen, including three superintendent of police level officers, have been deployed to distribute and monitor the ration. He said that three senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers have been made nodal officers for relief and rescue work.
Indian Army has prepared MI-17 and Chinook helicopters for rescue
The Chief Minister said, "Every life is precious for us." State Home Secretary Shailesh Bagauli said that more than 100 ITBP, BRO and SDRF personnel are engaged in rescue operations at the site and many more personnel will join it soon. To rescue the stranded people, the Indian Army has kept MI-17 and Chinook helicopters ready, which will fly as soon as the weather clears. Colonel Harshvardhan, Commanding Officer of '14 Raj Rif' is leading the relief and rescue operation on the spot with his team of 150 soldiers.
11 soldiers are also among the missing
Army spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Manish Srivastava said that 11 soldiers are also among the missing. He said that despite the soldiers being missing and the base being affected, the team is working with full courage and determination. Officials said here that in view of the huge loss of life and property in the disaster, an amount of Rs 20 crore has been released from the State Disaster Relief Fund for relief and rescue operations and immediate repair of damaged assets.
The state's Director General of Health Sunita Tamta has instructed a team of five specialist doctors to reach Uttarkashi immediately so that the affected people can be provided timely and proper treatment. These doctors include one general surgeon and two orthopedic surgeons.
280 general beds reserved in Rishikesh AIIMS
In view of the disaster, beds including ICUs have been reserved in major hospitals of Dehradun and Rishikesh. State Health Secretary R. Rajesh Kumar said that 280 general beds and 90 ICU beds have been reserved in Dehradun's Doon Medical College, Coronation Hospital and Rishikesh AIIMS so that the injured brought from the disaster-affected area can get immediate treatment.
Three psychiatrists were also posted in Dharali
Kumar said that in view of the possibility of mental stress and depression among the disaster affected people, three psychiatrists have also been deployed in Dharali who will also visit relief camps and communicate with the people. On the other hand, it is raining at various places in the state due to which rivers and drains are overflowing. The Ganga river has crossed the danger mark in Haridwar. Officials said that due to continuous rain in the mountains and plains, the Ganga is flowing 20 centimeters above its danger mark of 294 meters in Haridwar.
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