DEHRA DUN, June 30, 2013: While the death toll arising from the Uttarakhand floods continues to mount, the government has turned its attention to the plight of affected locals.

As of Saturday evening, rations and other essentials were airdropped in as many as 60 of the 140 floods-hit villages in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Rudraprayag districts.

The government is seeking to ensure that food shortage in the affected villages will be eliminated within three days. Helicopters have been made available to airlift the elderly from the villages should the need arise.

As roads in the region remain unusable, Army and private helicopters will serve, for another month, to provide connectivity to the villages.

Relief works regarding compensation for the dead and injured people, and the buildings that are completely destroyed, commenced on Saturday.

Stranded in Badrinath

According to the Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation Centre report, 1,07,670 persons have been evacuated.

Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar said, “If the weather remains favourable, Badrinath will be evacuated by Sunday, June 30.”

“The number of stranded in Badrinath is increasing by the day as the villagers, labourers, porters, too are getting out of the place due to broken roads and lack of ration,” Kumar added.

According to Piyoosh Rautela, Executive Director, Uttarakhand Disaster Mitigation Centre, around 1,500 are still stranded in Badrinath.

Anand Sharma, Director, Meteorological Centre, Dehra Dun, said, “There might be light to moderate showers in the disaster-hit areas on Sunday.”

By Saturday evening, choppers had rescued 500 people from Pithoragarh.

Ten hydro-power projects have been shut down in the State owing to heavy siltation and damage to dam structures.

Kumar said damage to Kali Ganga-I hydro-power project in Rudraprayag district has resulted in a loss of around Rs 40 crore.

Of the hydro-power projects that area shut down in Uttarkashi district, while the Maneri Bhali Phase-II (304 MW) will be de-silted within three days, Maneri Bhali Phase-I (90 MW) would require another week before it starts functioning.

The Ministry of Rural Development shall provide 14,000 houses in the monsoon-ravaged areas under the Indira Awaas Yojana and Rs 335 crore shall be given to the State under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.

Water supply shall be restored in the 189 villages and work on restoring electricity in 475 villages is on.

Source: The Hindu, Dt. 30th June, 2013