AHMEDABAD, June 25, 2013: Ankit Pandya, a resident of Khokhra, was among the hundreds from the state who had started off for Dehradun when the news about the deluge in Kedarnath broke earlier last week. His father and mother - Rajnikant and Kashmira Pandya - were among the pilgrims who could not be contacted. Ankit had talked to them on Monday when they were about to reach Gaurikund, a sacred spot for pilgrims between Kedarnath and Badrinath. Ankit is among the few who has successfully tracked his parents at an army-run camp.

"An army official called our home in Ahmedabad informing us about my parents' whereabouts. They were rescued from Gaurikund by an army team that also provided them with food and medicines. They were airlifted to Dehradun, from where we started our homeward journey," said Pandya on Sunday.

However, Pandya had a grim tale to tell. "During my five-day stay at Dehradun, I have seen things going from bad to worse for the relatives of pilgrims who remain untracked by rescue agencies, including the army and government machinery. I have encountered at least 50 to 60 persons from across the country who are frantically searching the makeshift medical facilities, army rescue camps and relief camps with photographs of their relatives clutched in their hands. Some of them were also from Gujarat," he said.

Source:  The Times of India, DT. June 25, 2013.