Railways to ferry goods to state free of cost
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 25
The Ministry of Railways has decided that relief material, viz. food, medicines, clothes, building materials, utensils etc, will be carried to Uttarakhand free of cost by coaching trains for a period of 15 days, i.e. from June 25 to July 9.

The relief material will be consigned to the District Magistrate of the district concerned on production of a certificate from the consignor that the consignment is a gift in kind or has been purchased with the funds donated by public for flood victims and has not been paid for by the government or any of its agencies.

No claim for any loss or damage to the consignment carried under this arrangement will be entertained unless it is clearly proved that the loss or damage took place due to willful negligence on the part of the Railways. 

Residents of Bhyundar, Pulna want to be rehabilitated in Joshimath
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 25
With the rescue and relief operation for the stranded pilgrims and tourists about to be completed, people living in several villages of Uttarakhand, which also faced the brunt of the torrential rains, can now hope for the government’s attention towards their plight.

Several people have died and houses and fields destroyed in the floods. Post disaster, people have been left to their resources.

“Bhyundar in Joshimath has been completely destroyed. The picturesque Pulna village also faced the fury of landslides, forcing the villagers to seek shelter in Joshimath. We are still shell-shocked at the enormity of the destruction. As the cloudburst occurred in the morning, we managed to move,” said Lakshman Singh Negi, a resident of Urgam Valley.

Bhyundar is the summer settlement of Pulna villagers. Villagers comprising 99 persons had moved to the village with their livestock little knowing that the village would be completely destroyed. “The devastation has been quite extensive. For several days, the area remained cut off from the other areas. After the Army started making alternative routes, people managed to get supplies from the nearby camps,” said Negi.

Now, families of Bhyundar and Pulna are fearful of going back and are pressing for rehabilitation in Joshimath.

According to the villagers, on June 16 massive soil erosion took place in the Lakshman Ganga that flows between Bhuyndar valley. On the same morning, nine persons died due to a cloudburst in Bansi Narayan village in Joshimath. The Kheer Ganga (that originates in Uniyanital ) was in spate after the cloudburst. It led to extensive flooding in Lambagar, Govind Ghat and Pandukeshwar and swept away Khinalu ghat.

“In Uttarakhand, it takes years for the fields to give good yield. Agricultural fields have been destroyed due to soil erosion in various places in Lambagar and Govind Ghat,” said Bachi Ram, a villager.

Similarly, the sound of mule hoofs on the Lokpal-Hemkunt Sahib route has abruptly fallen silent after the floods.

“Mule owners have been left with no work. They have to survive the summer and winter months,” said Bachi Ram. In the nearby Urgam valley, four bridges have been damaged and the Kalpeshwar route, too, has been damaged. The road linking Helang to Urgam valley has been completely damaged. 

Cop faces heat for ousting those serving desperate relatives
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 25
A unilateral decision of Circle Officer Swatantar Kumar to oust those serving food, snacks and tea to relatives of the stranded pilgrims at stalls on the premises of the Sahastardhara helipad here led to angry scenes today.

Congress leaders created a ruckus and abused and manhandled Kumar for ousting the stall owners. They said they got complaints from the relatives of the stranded pilgrims camping at the helipad that they were not getting food.

Suleman Ansari, state secretary of the Congress, and Mohammad Shahzad cornered Kumar. They said he was bringing a bad name to the state government by throwing out all those who were providing eatables to the disaster-hit people here.

The Congress leaders said these people, who had come from different states, complained to them that they were not getting food. Later they pitched tents to hold food stalls.

Kumar tried to reason that the police had also arranged for food for the guests. But the food came very late.

However, the Nirwani Akhara continued to serve outside the premises. Patanjali, Haridwar, too offered juice and fruit outside the helipad and many others, including a team of the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, left the place. A few other volunteers, who were also rendering services, too left angrily. The police tried to fill the gap by holding a stall where policewomen gave tea and biscuits, snacks etc. They arranged for food, but quite late. The people went outside the helipad and had food there.

Some Congress activists also joined the leaders but Kumar escaped thrashing. Strangely, no policeman came to his rescue. Only Circle Officer, Kotwali, Harish Kumar Sati intervened to pacify the angry Congress leaders. He said nobody would be stopped from providing food items on the helipad premises. The angry Congressmen then pitched tents and offered food.

Kumar said he decided to oust the stall owners from the premises because they were creating nuisance, leading to scuffles. 

Tamta to seek more relief money for Pithoragarh, Bageshwar dists
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, June 25
Almora MP Pradeep Tamta has said that he will request the Government of India to increase the relief money as the loss of infrastructure alone in Darma, Johar in Pithoragarh district and Malla Danpur Patti of Kapkot subdivision in Bageshwar district is more than Rs 1,000 crore. “As the estimates of total losses to the infrastructure in these areas of my constituency come to the fore, we will request the government to be more generous towards the needs of these border villages,” said Tamta.

The MP said despite heavy loss of infrastructure in Dharchula, Munsiyari and Kapkot valleys, the media had not paid much heed to it and only focused in Kedar valley due to more human loss there.

Tamta, who was talking to mediapersons on reaching here after visiting Johar Darma and Kapkot valleys, said the infrastructure loss in these valleys was similar to Kedarnath and Badrinath. “The loss of infrastructure is such that more than 30,000 villagers will be on the verge of starvation if basic infrastructure is not restored there,” said Tamta.

He said most of the roads in Munsiyari and Dharchula valleys had been wiped out due to flash floods. Traditional fair spot, besides the suspension over the river at Jauljibi had been washed away by strong currents of the Kali and 22 shops at Baluakot market had also washed away. “ The entire village of new Sobla, besides bridges had been wiped out by the strong currents of rivers Dhauli and Gori due to the heavy rains that occurred on June 16 onwards, said the MP.

According to him, 35 rescued families of Ghattabagar in Baram valley are still living in relief tents and awaiting permanent settlement in their respective villages. Barring the Army, ITBP and NGOs, no one wass working to give them relief. “The outside contacts to the remote villages of Nagling, Milam and Ralam and some villages of Kaplot had been de-linked as the bridges connecting these villages had been swept away,” said the MP.

“The first priority of the state government should be to ensure availability of foodgrains in the coming monsoon months under PDR system and for that all the track routes to these villages should be constructed on a priority basis,” said the Almora MP.

He added the Kali, which flows between India and Nepal in Pithoragarh district, played havoc as it not only destroyed shops at Baluankot and Jhoolaghat towns, besides damaging its portion of Nepal, but also washed away a vital bridge at Jauljibi.

CM’s statement on yatra does not inspire confidence: Koshiyari
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 25
Former Chief Minster Bhagat Singh Koshiyari today criticised Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna for saying that it would take more than a year for the Char Dham Yatra to get back on track.

“The statement is foolish and does not inspire confidence. The Chief Minister should have declared that he would ensure work is done day and night to ensure the route is made so that saints, seers and pilgrims can take the pilgrimage,” he said while speaking with mediapersons today.

The former Chief Minister further said that if he was unable to build the route, he should hand over the task to chief ministers of other states who are willing to contribute.

The former CM also said that the disastrous response of the Uttarakhand government in the aftermath of the national calamity was due to the failure of political leadership that failed to assert itself, bringing a bad name to the state.

“At this critical juncture the political leadership failed to inspire the confidence of the people and retreated in a shell. The disastrous response of the government has sullied the name of the state. It depended on the bureaucracy, which has it’s own limitations. It is only the people’s representatives, the Chief Minister and his Cabinet ministers who should have been in the forefront,” he added. The former Chief Minister who undertook a yatra on foot till Gaurikund said that the pilgrims that he met on the way decried the absence of local administration, while the ministers were busy taking helicopter rides.

The former Chief Minister also demanded that the Central Government declare the disaster that has hit the state as a national calamity and also urged the state government to waive the loans of small industries and hotels that have suffered huge losses in the calamity. 

Navjot Kaur Sidhu reaches Rishikesh with relief aid 
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 25
Parliamentary Secretary, Punjab, Navjot Kaur Sidhu today reached Rishikesh with relief material in six trucks. She also offered voluntary service for pilgrims.

Jathedars from Amritsar and Jalandhar are accompanying her. They also received stranded pilgrims being rescued in helicopters and buses in Rishikesh.

She met Parmarth Niketan chief Swami Chidanand Muni and apprised him of the Punjab Government’s help to the affected people of the state.

She also attended aarti at the Parmarth Niketan Ganga ghat and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

Meanwhile, Ganga Action Parivar, a social organisation, has started the process of compiling the names and data of missing pilgrims.

Led by Amar Deep Kashyap, a cyber expert team is gathering information from the district administration, the police, the Army, and kin of the pilgrims and uploading it on a website.

Ganga Action Parivar activists have also provided cellular sets at various relief camps, where stranded pilgrims can contact their kin.

Swami Chidanand has urged the people to extend help to the disaster victims.

He asked spiritual and industrial organisations to jointly work in reshaping Uttarakhand as it was not only the responsibility of the government but also of every citizen of this country.

Youth, animals perish in Almora cloudburst
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 25
A 22-year-old youth died and 26 domestic animals perished in flash floods caused by a cloudburst at Basarkhet village in Chaukhutia subdivision of Almora district last night. The district administration said three bridges connecting the village had also been washed away in the cloudburst. Cultivable land in the village was damaged.

“The entire village has been cut off and local revenue officers are trying to reach the village from alternative routes to get a picture of the situation after the incident,” said Akshat Gupta, District Magistrate of Almora.

Mass cremations at Kedarnath today
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 25
The mass cremation of the dead persons in Kedarnath could not take place due to poor weather conditions even though wood and other material for cremation has reached Kedarnath.

VK Duggal, coordinator of central and state operations, said an honourable and solemn funeral would be given to the dead tomorrow at Kedarnath. “Due to bad weather, the cremation could not take place. As soon as the weather clears, it would be done.”

On the issue of removal of debris from the Kedarnath temple, Duggal said the central agencies would lend support in terms of providing JCBs, cutters and other equipment and the exercise would be overseen by the district administration.

Meanwhile, since Monday, pooja and other rituals have started at the Omakeshwar temple in Ukhimath, the winter abode of Kedarnath. 

Villagers not to celebrate fishing festival ‘Maun’
Our Correspondent

Mussoorie, June 25
Around 40 villages from the Jaunpur Block of district Tehri Garhwal adjacent to Mussoorie have decided to forego celebrating the traditional fishing festival held at Aglar river near Yamuna bridge on annual basis in the first week of July in a meeting held at Nainbagh yesterday.

The representatives of the villages involved in the celebrations discussed the issue in detail and a unanimous decision was taken to forgo the Maun festival celebrations this year considering the natural calamity that has occurred in the hill state of Uttarakhand.

The social activist from the region Pradeep Kavi informed the media that this is for the first time that the fishing festival Maun has been cancelled since its inception 200 years ago.

All the villagers have been directed to assist in the relief work and stand beside the hapless victims who are suffering due to the damage incurred to their properties and livestock in the region.

Reports of crime against pilgrims false: DGP
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 25
Uttarakhand DGP Satyavrat Bansal in a statement has said there had been rumours and fictitious reports of incidents of crime against pilgrims. He said there was no information regarding such incidents with the police. Defence personnel engaged in the rescue operations between Gaurikund and Kedarnath were also unaware of such incidents, he added.

Bansal said the police had been directed to provide security to the people in need of it and special measures had been taken for the security of women and children.

The DGP said to restrict crime, intensive checking and frisking operations were going on. “If there is any complaint regarding such incidents or loss of vehicle and luggage in disaster, people can lodge an FIR in any police station of the state. Strict action will be taken against anti-social elements and criminals,” he said.