Dehradun, July 10, 2013: Uttarakhand Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal in a missive to Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Tuesday sought a revamp of the disaster management department as it had virtually failed during last month’s deluge and landslides.

Returning after a tour of disaster hit areas of Garhwal and Kumaon, Mr. Kunjwal said that microzonation of the disaster prone areas should be immediately done to study the geological and geophysical characteristics viz-a-viz the risks of rock falls, landslides, flooding possibilities, strength of the rocks etc.

“Microzonation provides the basis for site-specific risk analysis and should be made the basis of all the development and disaster mitigation activities”, Mr. Kunjwal said.

The Speaker wanted the Government to immediately come up with a need based scientific rehabilitation plan for the huge losses suffered by farmers, shopkeepers and other entrepreneurs who lost huge tracts of agricultural land, domestic animals, tourism facilities, houses and shops in last month’s rain fury.

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiary felt that an all-party committee comprising of the local MP, MLA and prominent persons should be set up at the State and development block levels to guide and monitor the reconstruction of floods ravaged villages.

The Government should expeditiously think of relocating the over 500 highly endangered villages to safer areas and initiate steps before the locals start permanently migrating to safer areas in the plains, Mr. Koshiary said.

It may be mentioned that a large number of residents of disaster hit villages in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts were thinking of leaving the villages and migrating to the plains. “We will be happy to work hard and earn a living in the plains rather than die in the villages facing serious danger from landslides and flash floods”, said Vineeta Devi and her friends of Bhatwadi village in Uttarkashi district. If what these women of Bhatwadi say comes true–Uttarakhand– already facing mass migration of youths who come down to the plains in search of jobs every year will soon see migration of entire families increasing the number of deserted villages in the hills. There are over a hundred deserted villages in Garhwal region and the dangerous trend if not checked through sustainable rehabilitation of villages would mean more deserted villages in Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag districts also said social activist Avdhash Kaushal.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 10, 2013.