Rescue operation underway to trace missing in Uttarakhand-Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah n Tuesday said in the Lok Sabha that  around 200 people missing in the Uttarakhand tragedy. Out of the total missing, 139 people are those who were working at the NTPC project, 86 were working at the second project at Rishiganga which was washed off and 12 others were local. The rescue operations at a large scale are underway. Shah further said that the central government is monitoring the situation, the PM himself is monitoring it. Both the control rooms of the Home Ministry are monitoring the situation round the clock and the state is being provided with all the possible help.

In his statement made in the Rajya Sabha, Shah informed that the state government has said that the floods don’t pose a risk to the low lying areas anymore. He said, the water level is receding in the area. Shah informed that the avalanche occurred 5,600 metres above sea level. He said 12 people of the NTPC project in the area have been rescued along with 15 others of the Rishi Ganga Project. In a tunnel of a different project of NTPC, he said, nearly 25-35 people are likely to be stuck for which securing missions have almost reached the end of the tunnel to evacuate them. 

Shah also informed that 450 personnel of ITBP, 5 teams of NDRF, 8 Army teams, 1 Navy team, 5 IAF helicopters, 1 team of Seema Suraksha Bal along with 1 team of DRDO scientists are on the spot and working in the rescue and relief operation. He said, out of the Rs 1,041 crore allocated for Uttarakhand under the State Disaster Relief Fund in the Budget of financial year 2020-21, the first instalment of Rs 468 crore has already been sanctioned for the state to aid the relief work. The members of the Upper House stood for one minute in silence to mark their tribute to those who lost their lives in the avalanche tragedy. Shah said the debris at the mouth of the tunnel has been cleared by the Army after an overnight operation. He said, the centre is constantly monitoring the situation in the area and the Prime Minister is himself taking stock of the evolving situation round the clock. Shah said, as the flood washed away an important bridge in the area, connection to 13 small villages in the region has been lost. He said food and medical supply is being sent to these cut off areas through helicopters. 

The Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has conducted an aerial survey of disaster-hit areas of Chamoli on Tuesday He met the villagers and assessed the damage following the calamity, He also met the injured people who were rescued and admitted to ITBP Hospital at Joshimath.Meanwhile, 28 bodies have been recovered so far and the rescue operation is underway on a war footing by the  Military, ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, and State Police.