GUPTKASHI, June 23, 2013: Relatives of people stranded in Uttarakhand have asked authorities to shoot video footages of the relief camps being run by them, saying the visual evidence shown to them can serve as an assurance that due care of their dear ones is being taken.

"We may not be able to see our people or recognise anyone we know, but would feel assured that best possible care is being taken," said Satya Prakash Mangal from Kota in Rajasthan, in search of his sister and brother-in-law, who are untraceable since June 16. 

"The government should shoot video footage of relief camps at Jungle Chatti, Gaurikund and share it with the public," he said, saying that inquiries at Jolly Grant airport and numerous calls on helplines have yielded no clue so far. 

"I have spoken to countless pilgrims who have been brought back from affected areas. I have shown them photographs of my sister and her husband. But none was able to give me a ray of hope," said Mangal. 

As the wait for news about their loved ones turns from days into a week, large number anxious families camping in Uttarakhand also second to the suggestion of video footages. 

Despite the best efforts of the administration, some 30,000 people are still stranded in affected areas. 

As the toll creeps up -- media is reporting over 600 dead in Uttarakhand -- there is foreboding among the relatives of missing persons. 

"May be they are alright and on their way back. But it would be good to know that it is so," said Bhagwati Lal Sukhwal from Rajasthan, whose relatives were part of a 12-member group that had gone on a pilgrimage. 

"Three members of that group managed to contact us. They are safe. But what about the rest?" he asked. 

Meanwhile, Rudraprayag DM Dilip Jawalkar said all stranded persons should be rescued within next few days. 

"On Friday we brought back 16,000 people. Most road routes have been cleared. Buses are moving. All stranded persons should be out within a day or two," Jawalkar said yesterday. 

Uttarakhand Principal Secretary Rakesh Sharma, who is in charge of rescue operations, said in Dehradun on Friday that "the death toll can only be determined on the basis of the number of bodies recovered.

Source: The Economic Times, DT. June 23, 2013.