Shah conducts aerial survey of rain-hit areas of Ukhand state govt pegs damage at Rs 7000 cr
Dehradun Oct 21 PTI Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday conducted an aerial survey of Uttarakhands rain-ravaged areas to asses the damage that the state government has pegged at Rs 7000 croreTalking to reporters at the Jollygrant airport here after returning from the survey of the affected areas in the Kumaon region Shah said that the alertness of the central and state government agencies helped contain the damageRelief and rescue operations continued in the worst-hit Kumaon region amid efforts to restore connectivity and evacuate people from vulnerable areasEarlier Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that three days of incessant rains in the state have caused damages worth Rs 7000 croreRestoring the network of damaged roads and bridges at the earliest and evacuating people to safety is the priority at the moment he saidA heavy rain alert was issued well in advance that helped take the required precautionary steps like halting the Chardham Yatra The damage could have been more if it was not done Timely mobilisation of search and rescue teams and arrival of IAF helicopters to assist in rescue operations helped minimise the potential damage Shah saidSixty-four unfortunate rain-related deaths have been reported in the state while more than 11 people are still missing he saidAccording to state authorities the death toll due to rain-related incidents in the state increased to 54 with 19 people injured and five still missing At 28 Nainital district has reported the maximum number of deathsShah did not announce any immediate relief package for Uttarakhand and said that a detailed estimate of the losses needs to be prepared firstHe said the state was given Rs 250 crore nearly a month ago considering its vulnerability to natural disasters and that can take care of the relief and rescue measures currently underwayThe Centre is with the state government and it will give all support to Uttarakhand in its rehabilitation efforts the Union minister saidHe said all blocked roads in the affected areas have been cleared except three which suffered nearly 25-metre breaches and added that 3500 people have been rescued so farBig breaches may take more time to repair he saidShah said 80 per cent telephone connectivity has been restored and availability of 60 per cent electricity has been ensured so far in the affected areas The remaining shortage will also be removed soonAt a high-level meeting with senior officials and state ministers after surveying the rain-hit areas Shah asked the Uttarakhand government to send medical teams to the affected areas to prevent the spread of diseasesDamaged power lines should be repaired at the earliest and the good coordination between central and state agencies which was evident during the recent spell of heavy rains in the state should be kept up he saidHe also sought the state governments suggestions on what needs to be done for better disaster management in the stateShah praised Dhami for his handling of the situation saying relief and rescue operations were launched in time and many lives could be saved due to thisHe said 3500 people were rescued while 16000 others were evacuated to safe locations Seventeen teams of the National Disaster Response Force seven teams of the State Disaster Response Force 15 teams of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and 5000 police personnel are engaged in the relief and rescue operations in the stateUttarakhand Governor Lt Gen retd Gurmit Singh Dhami Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt and state Disaster Management Minister Dhan Singh Rawat had accompanied Shah during the aerial survey of the affected areasDue to the heavy downpour and flooding of the Naini lake the area around Dhobi Ghat in Nainital is experiencing major landslides District Magistrate Dhiraj Singh Garbiyal saidThis area is right at the base of Nainital and is believed to be the foundation of the town Around 100 families living in Dhobi Ghat have been shifted he saidGarbiyal said relief camps have been set up at a number of places Twenty-five people were airlifted and six others were rescued with the help of rafts in Ramnagar while 30 families from Sundarkhal and Ramnagar were airlifted and moved to safe locationsRelief camps have also been set up in Puchdi area which was flooded Fifty-four members of 10 families living in Puchdi Nai Basti have been accommodated in a relief camp set up at the Government Girls Primary School Poochri he saidA total of 150 people were brought to Ramnagar safely in roadways buses and sent to their destinations free of cost while 97 families affected by floods in Lalkuan have been shifted to a gurdwara and relief camps he addedMeanwhile the Chardham Yatra which was temporarily halted on October 18 due to the heavy rain alert issued by the meteorological department resumed with pilgrims leaving for Kedarnath Badrinath Gangotri and Yamunotri from Rishikesh Chardham bus terminal and Haridwar bus standHeli services for Kedarnath have also resumed The weather at the Himalayan temples is chilly but there is no rain PTI ALM DIV DIV
Dehradun Oct 21 PTI Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday conducted an aerial survey of Uttarakhands rain-ravaged areas to asses the damage that the state government has pegged at Rs 7000 croreTalking to reporters at the Jollygrant airport here after returning from the survey of the affected areas in the Kumaon region Shah said that the alertness of the central and state government agencies helped contain the damageRelief and rescue operations continued in the worst-hit Kumaon region amid efforts to restore connectivity and evacuate people from vulnerable areasEarlier Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that three days of incessant rains in the state have caused damages worth Rs 7000 croreRestoring the network of damaged roads and bridges at the earliest and evacuating people to safety is the priority at the moment he saidA heavy rain alert was issued well in advance that helped take the required precautionary steps like halting the Chardham Yatra The damage could have been more if it was not done Timely mobilisation of search and rescue teams and arrival of IAF helicopters to assist in rescue operations helped minimise the potential damage Shah saidSixty-four unfortunate rain-related deaths have been reported in the state while more than 11 people are still missing he saidAccording to state authorities the death toll due to rain-related incidents in the state increased to 54 with 19 people injured and five still missing At 28 Nainital district has reported the maximum number of deathsShah did not announce any immediate relief package for Uttarakhand and said that a detailed estimate of the losses needs to be prepared firstHe said the state was given Rs 250 crore nearly a month ago considering its vulnerability to natural disasters and that can take care of the relief and rescue measures currently underwayThe Centre is with the state government and it will give all support to Uttarakhand in its rehabilitation efforts the Union minister saidHe said all blocked roads in the affected areas have been cleared except three which suffered nearly 25-metre breaches and added that 3500 people have been rescued so farBig breaches may take more time to repair he saidShah said 80 per cent telephone connectivity has been restored and availability of 60 per cent electricity has been ensured so far in the affected areas The remaining shortage will also be removed soonAt a high-level meeting with senior officials and state ministers after surveying the rain-hit areas Shah asked the Uttarakhand government to send medical teams to the affected areas to prevent the spread of diseasesDamaged power lines should be repaired at the earliest and the good coordination between central and state agencies which was evident during the recent spell of heavy rains in the state should be kept up he saidHe also sought the state governments suggestions on what needs to be done for better disaster management in the stateShah praised Dhami for his handling of the situation saying relief and rescue operations were launched in time and many lives could be saved due to thisHe said 3500 people were rescued while 16000 others were evacuated to safe locations Seventeen teams of the National Disaster Response Force seven teams of the State Disaster Response Force 15 teams of the Provincial Armed Constabulary and 5000 police personnel are engaged in the relief and rescue operations in the stateUttarakhand Governor Lt Gen retd Gurmit Singh Dhami Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt and state Disaster Management Minister Dhan Singh Rawat had accompanied Shah during the aerial survey of the affected areasDue to the heavy downpour and flooding of the Naini lake the area around Dhobi Ghat in Nainital is experiencing major landslides District Magistrate Dhiraj Singh Garbiyal saidThis area is right at the base of Nainital and is believed to be the foundation of the town Around 100 families living in Dhobi Ghat have been shifted he saidGarbiyal said relief camps have been set up at a number of places Twenty-five people were airlifted and six others were rescued with the help of rafts in Ramnagar while 30 families from Sundarkhal and Ramnagar were airlifted and moved to safe locationsRelief camps have also been set up in Puchdi area which was flooded Fifty-four members of 10 families living in Puchdi Nai Basti have been accommodated in a relief camp set up at the Government Girls Primary School Poochri he saidA total of 150 people were brought to Ramnagar safely in roadways buses and sent to their destinations free of cost while 97 families affected by floods in Lalkuan have been shifted to a gurdwara and relief camps he addedMeanwhile the Chardham Yatra which was temporarily halted on October 18 due to the heavy rain alert issued by the meteorological department resumed with pilgrims leaving for Kedarnath Badrinath Gangotri and Yamunotri from Rishikesh Chardham bus terminal and Haridwar bus standHeli services for Kedarnath have also resumed The weather at the Himalayan temples is chilly but there is no rain PTI ALM DIV DIV
