40 victims' bodies airlifted

BAREILLY, Aug 22 (PTI) — Rescuers, weathering incessant rains, recovered 40 bodies, including that of noted classical dancer Protima Bedi, as choppers today ferried 60 grieving relatives of Mansarovar pilgrims to Pithoragarh where a devastating landslide this week killed more than 200 persons.

More than 200 persons, including 60 pilgrims on the Kailash-Mansarovar yatra, were killed in the Tuesday landslide which washed away the village.

According to official reports received at state headquarters here, the bodies were brought to Dharchula. Six of the injured also reached Dharchula for treatment.

The joint relief operations by the Army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), local police and the civil administration could only be started today. However, inclement weather was still hampering the relief measures and extrication of bodies, official sources said here.

A total of 140 personnel were engaged in the relief operations, of whom 40 were deployed at Malpa, they added.

According to a UNI report from Bareilly quoting itbp sources, the first Cheetah helicopter landed at Malpa at about 10 a.m. today.

Major-General J.R. Mukerjee told newspersons at the Central Command Army headquarters here unfavourable weather conditions did not allow the rescue operations to go on in full swing.

Reports said the bodies recovered were in decomposed condition and traces of more bodies were seen under the debris but their extrication was hampered due to bad weather and difficult terrain.

The Army was also pressed into relief work in the Mansoona area of Rudraprayag district where a lake was formed due to blockage in Madhmaheshwar, a tributary of the Mandakini river, following heavy landslides.

General Mukerjee said the Army was earlier asked to remove the blockage using explosives, but since the accumulated water started leaking through it the plan was cancelled.

Meanwhile, about 500 families were shifted to safer places as part of evacuation of areas in Rudraprayag district likely to be affected in case the naturally formed dam gave in to the pressure of accumulating water at the lake.

An Indian Air Force spokesman in New Delhi said Chetak, Cheetah and MI-17 helicopters carried out 48 sorties today before heavy rains later in the afternoon forced operations to be abandoned.

In a major effort, keeping in view the marginal weather, the IAF pilots evacuated eight casualties to Dharchula and moved out nine bodies.

A 74-member relief and rescue team was airlifted and dropped at Malpa along with relief supplies, the spokesman said.

Meanwhile in the Rudraprayag sector, where too the IAF has kept helicopters on standby, an aerial recce was carried out to find out the extent of damage to roads and blockage of the river.

Seven companies of the Army were engaged in the operation, code-named "White Horse", at various places in Pithoragarh district affected by landslides since August 16.

On the blockade of the Mandakini river and formation of an artificial lake at Mansuna village in Rudraprayag district, General Mukherji said: "Army engineers are against any tampering as the water is draining out in natural course and we are going by the law of nature".

"If we tamper with it, something wrong may happen and cause fresh landslides in the region," he pointed out.

Inhabitants of 24 villages in Rudraprayag have been evacuated to safer places as a precautionary measure, he said.

Meanwhile, relatives of those missing are banking on Reiki, some others are making good use of their cellphones, trying all their sources for help, while a few just sit motionless, resigned to their fate and too shocked to react.

Images of hope and despair writ large on their faces, kin of reportedly missing pilgrims to Kailash-Mansarovar have converged here from all over the country, some resigned to the "inevitable", while others keep their fingers crossed.

While some of the relatives do not want to go to Darchula for the identification of bodies saying that could be done once the bodies are brought here, many express the fear the bodies might get decomposed beyond recognition if there is more delay, or the cremation might be done at Darchula itself.

The district authorities have been trying their best to assure the relatives the bodies would be brought here and could even be taken to their native places.

The Uttar Pradesh authorities have decided to cremate several bodies of landslide victims at Malpa village where massive landslides had claimed more than 200 lives, including those of 60 pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar on Tuesday.

According to Principal Home Secretary Naresh Dayal, only the bodies which were highly decomposed would be cremated at Malpa while the rest would be brought to Dharchula for cremation.

The relatives of the victims had also been taken to Dharchula, he said.

It was not possible to carry all the bodies to Dharchula as some of bodies were in real bad shape, the Principal Home Secretary said.

Mr Dayal said gunny bags were being arranged for the bodies to be carried to Dharchula.He said most of the bodies were already decomposed.

The Uttar Pradesh Government would provide one house to each family rendered homeless in last week's landslides and incessant rains in Uttaranchal under the Indira Awas Yojna, besides a government job to one member from each of the affected families.

Uttar Pradesh Minister of State for Uttaranchal Development Matbar Singh Kandari said here today a Rs 3 crore scheme with World Bank aid was proposed to be implemented to maintain ecological balance in Garhwal and Kumaon divisions.

He said under the assured employment scheme, jobs would be provided to the affected families.

Mr Kandari said the district magistrates of the affected areas had been directed to form a committee for relief operations and stern actions would be taken against officials showing laxity in this regard.

The minister said the Lucknow-based Uttarakhand Development Manch contributed a cheque for Rs 10,000 to the CM's Relief Fund for the landslide affected people in the state and urged voluntary and social organisations to contribute to the fund to help the victims.