Special trains from Haridwar, Doon for rescued pilgrims
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 21
In view of thousands of pilgrims stranded in calamity-struck Uttarakhand, the Railways has started special trains from Haridwar, Dehradun and Rishikesh to other parts of the country.

Stranded passengers are being transported free of cost as per coordination between the Railways and the Uttarakhand Government ensuring that sufficient empty coaches are sent to Haridwar and Dehradun.

HELPLINE NUMBERS Haridwar: 09760534054, 09760534055 Dehradun: 0135 2622131 Rishikesh: 0135 2434167

Three special trains were run yesterday to Lucknow, Delhi and Ambala and more were being planned as per the expected requirement in the coming days, according to sources in the Ministry of Railways.

A task force has also been set up at the level of the Railway Board under its Chairman Vinay Mittal, who is monitoring the situation.

The Northern Railway, under which the Moradabad Division, Haridwar and Dehradun railway stations fall, have also geared up by making additional arrangements for the pilgrims.

Senior officers have been deputed as special officers in charge of four most crucial points. These officers will be responsible for liaison and coordination with the state civil authorities, ensuring management and dispersal of passengers by trains, running of special trains and also ensuring setting up of 24-hour passenger help booths at these locations.

The designated officers are Sanjeev Garg for Dehradun (09717630953), DK Singh for Rishikesh (097171630969), Hitendra Malhotra for Haridwar (09760534001) and Vivek Shrivastava for New Delhi (09717631001).

Railway Police Force officials with adequate personnel of inspectors and constables have also been deputed at these four locations along with doctors and paramedical staff.

Adequate arrangements of catering facility, drinking water and frequent announcements via a public address system regarding the status of trains and other passenger-related information is also being done

Meanwhile, a delegation of the BJP met railway officials and complained about lack of sufficient additional trains for the disaster-affected pilgrims from Haridwar.

Led by party unit district chief Vikas Tiwari, the activists gave a memorandum in this regard to Moradabad Divisional Manager Hitendra Malhotra. They demanded extra bogies and trains from Haridwar to other parts of the country.

Malhotra said additional bogies were being attached to the trains bound for Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and other states. In case of cancellation of reservation, full payment was being done to the passengers.

He added that additional counters and information centres had been set up at the Haridwar and Rishikesh railway stations in view of a rise in the number of passengers owing to the natural calamity. The passengers mainly comprise pilgrims who were rescued from Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Karanprayag, Tehri, Srinagar, Garhwal and Rudraprayag areas.

Rajasthan CM Gehlot reaches Dehradun
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 21
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot today reached Dehradun to supervise the rescue and relief operations of the pilgrims and tourists stranded in Garhwal region hailing from Rajasthan.

On his arrival at Jollygrant Airport, Ashok Gehlot said he would supervise the relief and rescue operations as three camps at Rishikesh, Dehradun and Haridwar would be set up for the stranded pilgrims and tourists from Rajasthan.

He said Rajasthan government had offered to help the Uttarakhand government in the relief and rehabilitation work.

“ I had talked to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on the very first day of disaster and announced Rs 5 crore for the Chief Minister's Relief Fund,” he said.

He further said relatives of the stranded and missing persons are angry but 
they should have patience as rescue and relief operations are being carried out by the Army and paramilitary forces.

Gehlot said there are estimated four thousand pilgrims and tourists from Rajasthan stranded in the Garhwal region.

Meanwhile, Union Minister for Personnal V Narayan Sami today met the Uttarakhand Chief Minister and got details of the relief and rescue works being undertaken in the Garhwal region. He told mediapersons that the Central Government along with the Army and para military forces are working overtime to help the stranded people and every effort would be made to send all of them to their respective destinations. 

Army choppers rescue 40 villagers in Dharchula 
Woman gives birth to baby boy on helicopter
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 21
Six Army choppers deputed in Pithoragarh district to evacuate stranded villagers from high Himalayan areas took more sorties and rescued 40 villagers trapped at Jolingkong hill, near Kuti in Dharchula subdivision.

“During a rescue sortie to Tejam village in Dharchula to rescue four ill women, Sarswati Devi of the village today gave birth to a baby boy in our chopper,” said an Army pilot.

District Magistrate, Pithoragarh, Dr Neeraj Khairwal said besides from Jolingkong, villagers stranded at Martoli, Sela, Sobla in the Johar valley were also rescued by the Army choppers, which took off from the Naini Saini airstrip along with one civilian helicopter.

“The overall situation in the district is under control and every stranded villager, except those who had gone to the high altitude meadows to collect Yarsa Gumba, have either been identified or rescued, said Khairwal.

According to the rescued villagers, those who had gone to high altitude areas to collect Yarsa Gumba in Dharchula and Munsiyari subdivisions. “Other villagers are either at the Army camp or are with the ITBP at high Himalayan camps,” said Deepa Brijwal, a woman evacuated by an Army chopper from Bilju village in the Johar valley. “Even today we have drooped 853 food packets to stranded villagers of the Johar valley and 200 fruit packets in the Darma valley,” said the DM.

He said with two more casualties being reported, the death toll in the natural disaster in the district has risen to 16. “Some more villagers have been reported missing in tje Milam area of Munsiyari subdivision. They are being traced with the help of ITBP jawans,” said Khaiwal.

He added if the weather improves more than 80 per cent of rescue and relief work would be completed in the district today. “Only those villagers, who had gone to collect Yarsa Gumba, would be left to be rescued as they could not be traced even with the help of choppers," he said.

The District Magistrate said nine more bridges had reportedly washed away in the rains in Darma and Johar valleys. Shepherds, who go to jungles to rear their sheep, use these bridges to return home. “About 1,000 shepherds are said to be still untraceable,” he added.

Natural calamity not manmade:Kaushal
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 21
The Rural Litigation and Entitlement Kendra (RLEK), a voluntary organisation has expressed dismay at the propaganda in the media, unfortunately, that cloudburst, excessive rains, floods are manmade and not natural disasters. Awdhash Kaushal, Chairpersons of RLEK in a statement said people living in metros like Delhi who have no knowledge whatsoever of the geographical status of Uttrakhand are even blaming the residents of the state for this disaster.

He said it was a well-known fact that 67% of the state is under forest cover and it is not because of forest department or Environment Ministry’s endeavour but because of the efforts of the residents of Uttarakhand.

Kaushal said some people may falsely believe the propaganda done by ignorant people with vested interest that this devastation in Uttrakhand has occurred because of not agreeing and implementing eco- sensitive zone as per the gazette of 2012 of Ministry of Environment. “They forget that after the so-called declaration of Eco sensitive zone there has not been any construction, not even any kind of repair work has been done in Uttarkashi and to blame for this disaster and flood is far from truth and unscientific argument,” he said.

“As the stake of local people and the government is much more higher than anybody else,Uttarakhand government unanimously passed the resolution against the eco- sensitive zone, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand also appealed to the Central Government to withdraw this gazette notification but it is our misfortune that ignoring the federal structure of our democracy and insulting the elected representatives of the state the Central Government has decided to go ahead with the eco-sensitive zone,” he added.

Kaushal opined that the present disaster being faced by Uttrakhand is nothing but the result of stalling the three hydro power projects that were nearly complete, namely Bhairon Ghati (381MW) Pala Maneri (480MW) and Lohari Nagapala (600 MW). Stalling these at such a juncture invites the wrath of monsoons every year, as it brings along with rain water, huge boulders, debris, slush and muck that causes destruction of such a huge magnitude, year after year. We saw this last year too, in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and Kedarnath huge boulder came along with rains, this was not because of any other activity as being claimed that due to deforestation or construction of roads but due to the stalled hydro power projects,” he said.

He further said had Tehri Dam not been there the town of Rishikesh would have been one meter more water in it this time.

Kaushal said the group of ministers, headed by then Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee had given recommendation that after spending of hundreds of crores of poor man’s money it is advisable to start the Lohari Nagpala hydro power project. Even then some bureaucrats, internet activists and pseudo environmental activists, who had never visited this area advised the Prime Minister against it, these unscientific people with their ignorant and arrogant attitude have brought doom to the land of Uttarakhand.

Disaster control room gets more complaints
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 21
The Disaster control room, run by the district administration, received some more complaints yesterday from the people affected by the rain related disaster in 
the district.

The boundary walls of houses in Singal Bagoda colony got damaged, while the food material and other belongings were also spoilt. The Revenue clerk has been directed to take up the matter.

A connecting road from Akhand Bhilans Manjara Hilanswali village has been broken due to which farmers are finding it difficult to take their crop produce in the grain market.

Tehsildar Sadar and Block Development Officer have been directed to deal with the situation.

Another house got damaged with the collapse of embankment of the road in Kalika Vihar Sharda Vihar Phase 2.

The Block Development Officer, Doiwala, has been instructed to look into the matter. Some cattle were also swept by the flooded water in Dharmuchak Doiwala village. The area also suffered land erosion. Similarly, crops too were damaged in the area due to water table rising in Susva river. The Block Development Officer Raipur has been directed has been asked to take an urgent action in this case.

Villagers complain of lack of doctor at health centre 
Ajay Ramola

Mussoorie, June 21
Residents of Silla-Sarona village are facing problems due to the non-availability of a doctor at the primary heath care centre in the village for the past several years.

The villagers apprised MLA, Mussoorie, Ganesh Joshi about their grievances when he visited the area yesterday. They also brought to Joshi’s notice that a pharmacist was running the health centre here and the absence of a doctor was causing difficulties to them.

The villagers also rued the fact that the caretaker of the health centre had not been paid salary due to the indifferent attitude of the Health Department.

Joshi assured the villagers that he would talk to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dehradun, and ensure that a doctor was made available at the health centre regularly. This health centre was constructed at a cost of around Rs 1 crore a few years ago.

The villagers of the area requested the MLA to get repaired the road leading to their village. Joshi inspected fields of farmers which had suffered damage due to torrential rains here. He promised to look into the matter on priority.

The MLA also inspected the Buraskhand drinking water pumping station that was not functioning and required repairs.

Joshi later told mediapersons that he would speak to the department concerned and try to address the grievances of the villagers at the earliest.

The Patwari of the area, Jagdish Rathore, BJP workers Anuj Kaushal, Sundar Singh Payal, Jaipraksh Kothari, Dayal Singh, Ram Singh, Harnam Singh Kaniyal, Naresh Nautiyal and others were present on the occasion. 

Rajnath tells BJP-ruled states to offer help to Uttarakhand
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 21
National BJP President Rajnath Singh has said that he has instructed the governments of all BJP-ruled states to offer monetary and human resource help to the disaster-hit state of Uttarakhand.

Rajnath Singh was in Uttarakhand yesterday. He also did an aerial survey of the region and said united efforts were needed to tide over the devastation. "I have instructed all BJP-ruled states to offer all help. We should rise above politics to offer help," he said.

Rajnath Singh said the Central Government should declare Uttarakhand the national calamity-hit state.

He said the Uttarakhand Government should focus on providing aid to the people of the state and the stranded pilgrims.

Mansarovar yatra suspended

Pithoragarh, June 21
The Union Ministry of External Affairs has suspended the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra for batches 2 to 10 due to torrential rains and flood in Uttarakhand that have heavily damaged the route.

ITBP officer Kedar Singh Rawat said, according to a survey carried out by their teams, the route beyond the Gunji camp was covered under snow and three bridges on the route below Gunji had been washed away.

"The second batch has been sent back to New Delhi from Almora, where it was staying for the past three days. The first batch that has reached Gunji is also being sent back to New Delhi, likely by helicopters, as the route beyond Gunji is also covered under snow," said DK Sharma, general manager (tourism), Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN), which is the nodal agency of the yatra.

In the wake of widespread devastation caused by the torrential rains, the ministry has suspended the yatra for batches 2 to 10. "The ministry has called a meeting on July 2 and only after that the final decision would be taken by it," said Sharma. — OC

Hydropower projects damaged

Dehradun, June 21
Hydropower projects of Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (UJVNL) have suffered a loss of Rs 85 crore in torrential rains, sources said.

The hydropower projects, which were washed away, are Kali Ganga I (5 MW) and Kali Ganga II (6 MW) at Rudraprayag. While the Kali Ganga I project was in operation, the Kali Ganga II project was under construction. The under construction Sobla I project of 8 MW and the 2 MW Kanchoti project at Pithoragarh were also damaged. Other projects like Maneri Bhali-1 (90 MW) and Maneri Bhali II (304 MW) in Uttarkashi also suffered a lot of damage. Other power houses under construction that bore the brunt of heavy rains were Madhmaheshwar (15 MW) and Asi Ganga I (4.5 MW) at Uttarkashi. — TNS

UJKD merges into UKD (Aeri) symbolically
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 21
The Uttarakhand Jan Kranti Dal (UJKD), led by former State Revenue Minister Diwakar Bhatt, merged into the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Aeri) symbolically today.

UJKD president BD Raturi said a formal announcement and celebration would follow later, as it was a mourning time for the entire state. While addressing a press conference on this occasion, Raturi said, “Kashi Singh Aeri has been elected president of the UKD in the party convention. This election sends a message to all splintered factions of the party to unite with the old party. The UJKD is also happy to unite with the UKD, led by Aeri. He said all big leaders of the party, including Ved Uniyal, OM Pal, Rakesh Swami, Wahid Khan and Manmohan Singh of the UJKD had joined UKD (Aeri) in unison.

Raturi said they would once again earn the confidence of the public by working in tandem. “People had lost faith in us because the different groups of the party fought with each other and parted ways,” he said.

On the absence of Diwakar Bhatt, he said Bhatt was busy attending to the grievances of the people of his constituency in Devprayag which was hit by the rain-related calamity. Soon, we would make a formal announcement in the presence of Diwakar Bhatt, he added.

Answering a query on Trivender Singh Panwar, who is heading another faction of the UKD, Raturi said they had no problems in taking Panwar along, provided he left his recalcitrant attitude and accepted Kashi Singh Aeri's leadership. He indicated that many members of the Panwar faction could also join their party anytime, as the talks were progressing on a positive note with them.

Aeri welcomed the UJKD in his fold and said, “The need of the hour is to ignore old petty issues and work for the betterment of the party.”

While speaking on the widespread calamity which struck the state, he said, “The state government must have taken the initiative to declare the present tragedy as national disaster.” He rued that the relief work to rescue pilgrims was insufficient and unorganised and wondered at the alleged insensitiveness of the state government, adding that people stranded at the higher reaches were dying of cold and hunger.

He also castigated the state government saying that they took the weather forecast lightly and did not take steps like stopping the Char Dham yatra before the onset of rains.

ONGC sends medical team to Guptkashi

Dehradun, June 21
Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) has sent a medical team comprising doctors and paramedical staff to Guptkashi to provide medical assistance to the calamity-hit people.

The team of three doctors, Dr Shashank Gandhe, additional CMO, Dr Ashish Jain, Deputy CMO (cardiologist) and Dr Azad Singh, emergency medical officer, along with paramedical staff, left for Guptkashi by a helicopter this afternoon.

The medical team carried a large consignment of essential medicines and other first aid material with it. The team was seen off at the Sahastradhara helipad by DD Misra, GM (head corporate, administration). Also present at the helipad were Sanjeev Sehgal, DGM (HR— corporate administration), Dr AK Jain, DGM (medical services) and Dr SD Joshi, DGM (medical services). — TNS