Victims in Johar, Darma valleys on verge of starvation as aid eludes them
Essential items could not be dropped due to harsh weather, dismantled roads in the area
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 26
Disaster victims in the Johar and Darma valleys situated on the Indo-China border of Pithoragarh district are on the verge of starvation as ration and other essential commodities could not be dropped there in the last 10 days due to harsh weather and dismantled roads in the area, district administration sources said.

“While we have dropped 209 quintals of ration to disaster-hit villages of Darma valley, we could drop only 15 per cent of required ration to the villages of the Johar valley due to non-connectivity there,” said Dr Neeraj Khairwal, District Magistrate of Pithoragarh.

Giving details of ration availability in the Johar valley, the District Magistrate said four quintals of ration packets had been dropped by Army helicopters in Milam village. Ration was being given to the victims of Martoli village from today and the villagers of Burfu would get ration after the workers completed Martoli village tomorrow. “We have problems of ration distribution only in the villages which have got cut off from roads in the valley. Villages with road connectivity have no problem in the valley,” said the DM.

The District Magistrate said the administration was facing double challenge as it has to drop ration meant for immediate need of disaster-affected villagers as well as for the need of next four months of monsoon when the tribal villagers will remain in these high Himalayan villages. “The ration meant for the disaster-hit villages of Milam, Burfu and Martoli is still lying at the Pithoragarh helipad for want of good weather conditions there,” said the District Magistrate.

He said that though the ration meant for the next four months of the monsoon season to these higher valleys has been deposited at Dugtu and Gunji godowns in Darma and Burfu and Bugdiyar go down in Johar valley, the ration is not being carried to respective villages due to damages of bridges on the route, which is causing crisis for the villagers. “We have deposited ration for the next three months in these valleys while ration for the month of August will be sent after the road network in these valleys get clear,” said the District Magistrate.

ITBP sources said two helicopters with 5.5 quintals of ration load were being sent to the Johar valley to drop ration there today. The copters sent earlier could not drop ration due to bad weather early this morning. “We have rescued 28 villagers from Nagling and 33 Chota Kailas pilgrims from Sosa village today and holding a medical camp at Tidang, the last village of Darma valley,” said Ranvir singh, commandant of the ITBP.

Contrary to the administration claims, some negligent conditions prevail in 14 remote helmets of Darma valley where the tourists and local villagers are trapped from the past nine days. “We are 306 persons, including some tourists, who have been trapped at Nagling for the past nine days at Tidang, from where the administration could rescue only six persons, including the SP of Champawat, last evening,” said Asmod Nagnyal, trapped villager at Nagling village of the Darma valley.

The villagers who reached the district headquarters after crossing broken bridges from the Johar valley, said the villagers of Milam Burfu and Martoli were still waiting relief material for the last 10 days, after rain fury hit them. “More than 1,000 villagers and outside labourers, who are trapped at Ganghar, Panchu, Martoli and Milam villages, have not taken complete meals for the last 10 days due to non-availability of ration at any shop or at the PDS shop,” said Kundan Singh Tolia, former pramukh of Munsiyari block.

Stocks of relief material are reaching the district since the disaster began on June 16, but all these materials are not being allowed to be taken by helicopter sorties as the helicopters have not even taken total relief packets prepared by district administration for the disaster-hit trapped villagers of the Drama and Johar valleys.

“All the relief packets are being stored in the godowns made at the airstrip and would be lifted at the time of need,” said district supply officer of district Tejbal Singh.

Bigwigs from several states visit Uttarakhand to give support
Tribune News Service

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Satpal Maharaj, Pauri Garhwal MP, at Paithani village on Wednesday. Tribune photo

Haridwar, June 26
As the pilgrims stranded in Garhwal hills hail from almost every state, chief ministers, Cabinet ministers and political leaders from respective states are coming on a daily basis to extend help and know about the condition of the pilgrims.

Presence of these political bigwigs is working two ways.

While on the one hand it is speeding the relief aid camp management and increasing relief material, on the other, it is boosting the morale of the rescued pilgrims, too.

Getting a handshake and applause from ministers and national-level leaders is motivating the activists managing these relief camps.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has been camping for the past four days in Haridwar, looking after the relief aid camps management and meeting pilgrims from Rajasthan.

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharati, too, visited a BJP-organised relief camp, insisting that in this time all should cooperate with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna to make sure relief work reached every stranded pilgrim and local people.

Bharati also lauded the work and courage of the Army personnel, saying that once again they have shown their worth and credibility.

Central Union Minister for Roads and Highways Oscar Fernandes has also paid a visit to the relief aid work and camps in the district.

Fernandez told mediapersons that rescue work is going on at a fast pace and hopefully in the coming days the hill state will get out of the tragedy.

The Union Minister also enquired about the health, yatra experience and facilities being provided by the government from the affected pilgrims who have been put up at various dharamshalas and ashrams, after being rescued by Army personnel.

Taking a dig at BJP's Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi about his claim of bringing in a single day 15,000 Gujaratis from Uttarakhand during his recent visit, Fernandes said that it was just to gain fame and such a huge number was not feasible to be brought in a single day.

The other political bigwigs who had visited Haridwar in the past week include Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shiv Raj Chauhan, Union Minister Ambika Soni, ex-Governor Moti Lal Vohra ,ex-Uttarakhand CM Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri, State Disaster Minister Yashpal Arya, Revenue Minister Indira Hriyadesh and several parliamentarians and legislators from other states.

Army continues sorties, relief ops
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 26
The Army continued its search, relief, rescue and evacuation operations throughout affected areas of Uttarakhand yesterday. The focus continued to be Badrinath and Harsil. Army helicopters carried out sorties in the Badrinath and Kedarnath valleys. In the Harsil sector, 253 people have been evacuated by 24 helicopter sorties.

A total of nearly 1,000 people are awaiting evacuation at Harsil. In Bardrinath sector, evacuation by air and a combination of foot and vehicles continued today with 740 people reaching Joshimath by evening. A total of 260 people crossed Alaknanda at Lambagar using helicopter bridge and Burma bridge. A total of 500 are still waiting to cross over.Ninety persons have been evacuated by air from Bardinath by 18 heli sorties.

The Army launched another initiative today to provide assistance to take care of ponies and mules stranded on the Hemkund axis.The Army helicopter had one veterinary doctor and two paramedics to render medical aid to the animals affected by the floods.

Efforts are underway to provide similar assistance to agencies responsible for taking care of animals in Gauri Kund. In order to speed up evacuation, Army engineers commenced construction of steel foot bridge across Alaknanda at Lambagar in Badrinath valley. Once completed, evacuation by foot will be rapid.

Lt Gen Anil Chait, Army Commander, Central Command, addressed evacuees at Harsil and Joshimath and complimented them for their patience and perseverance in undertaking road journey from Badrinath to Joshimath. “Army is only serving the people and the nation in this hour of the need”, he said. Interacting with the Army Commander via video link, evacuees were all praise for the yeoman service rendered by the Army in Uttarakhand.

The Army today took another step towards alleviating the problems being faced by people stranded at Badrinath and Kedarnath. Two Army psychiatrists from the Army

Medical Corps were inserted into the Joshimath sector to provide professional counselling, advice and solace to people awaiting evacuation.

One more final attempt was made when the Army special troops carried out extensive search operations in general area Jungle Chatti. No one was found stranded anywhere between Gauri Kund and Ram Bara. The troops will continue search depending upon the requirement.

The Army today evacuated ninety two persons from Sobala valley of Dharchula in Pithoragarh district. The Tejam and its surrounding villages in Pithoragarh were cut off following floods. A total of five hundred persons were provided medical aid.The Army earlier relocated people from low lying areas to higher reaches in Dharchula.

Aid coming from outside being checked
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, June 26
As part of safety measures, the state police is checking all relief material coming from different parts of the country for calamity-affected people.

Personnel of bomb-disposal squad are checking relief material, particularly those in packed boxes and containers.

The district administration has set up various rooms at the city control tower near the Har-ki-Pauri Ganga ghat, where relief material is being stored.

SP (city) Jagjeesh Chandra Bhandari said the bomb-disposal squad had been asked to monitor relief material as a precautionary measure.

A special letter of acknowledgement and thanksgiving is also being given to the people who are offloading relief material in Haridwar.

NDMA guidelines on flood control ignored by state: ASSOCHAM
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 26
Expressing a deep sense of anguish over misery and devastation caused by flash floods in Uttarakhand, ASSOCHAM today said none of the key guidelines by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on flood control and preparedness were implemented by the state government.

It said comprehensive guidelines by NDMA issued in June 2008 are gathering dust with most of the state governments failing to implement the same.

“If only the guidelines like inspection of dams, embankments and other structural measures twice every year before monsoon and after monsoon and flash floods forecasting and warning systems were followed, immense misery to human lives and material loss worth several thousand crores of rupees would have been avoided,” the chamber president Rajkumar Dhoot said.

The ASSOCHAM Environment Research Wing reviewed the NDMA guidelines enumerated into 135 pages on flood control and management and found to its dismay that most of these were not even looked at by several state governments, including in Uttarakhand.

While the implementation of these norms is to be left to the state, district and local authorities, with water being a state subject, ASSOCHAM said it is time the NDMA Act of 2005 was reviewed making enforcement of the norms the mandatory requirement - by all the concerned authorities.

“Adequate provisions must be provided in the Act to fix the responsibility if only we have to save our country from the natural disasters,” the ASSOCHAM president said. If required, the state governments should be asked to formulate their own laws as well to deal with the disaster management so that accountability for serious lapses could be fixed.

In the case of Uttarakhand, the state authorities and the Central machinery like the India Meteorological Department must be answerable to the people of the country and the state as to whether the clear cut disaster management norms were followed. For instance an important NDMA guideline related to forecast and warning systems of flash floods using Doppler radars by IMD. The moot point is were these radars installed by September, 2009 as was mandated in the guidelines,, and if yes,,did these instruments give the forecast of the Uttarakhand floods?

Likewise, as was mandated, did the Central Water Commission or the National Remote Sensing agency or the state disaster management authority monitor the landslides and blockages, if any, in the rivers with the help of statellite imageries? “If not, what is the use of the norms and rules being framed, if they have to gather dust in government files,” ASSOCHAM asked.

The chamber urged the Prime Minister to call a meeting of the state chief ministers to chalk out a clear-cut implementation strategy. All the organs and institutions suggested to be formed at the state levels and local levels must also be constituted soon.

“While we cannot do much about the natural phenomenon, we have to ensure that the nation remains always prepared for meeting any eventuality that can cause avoidable loss to human lives.”

733 of 1,291 damaged water projects restored
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 26
A total of 1,291 water projects have been damaged in the flood-affected areas of the state, Jal Sansthan 
officials have said.

Of the 1,291 damaged water projects, the Jal Sansthan has restored 733 of these. The Chief General Manager of Jal Sansthan, DD Dimiri, said around 2,000 engineers and 1,500 other employees were working around the clock to restore the damaged water projects.

The water supply projects in Badrinath, Pandukeshwar, Gobindghat, Ghanghria, Joshimath, Gopeshwar, Karnaprayag and Gauchar have been temporarily restored.

In Rudraprayag, the damaged water supply projects of Rudraprayag town, Fata, Agasthmuni, Rampur and Seetapur and Ukhimath have been restored successfully. In Pauri, the Srinagar and Shrikot water supply lines have been restored. In Uttarkashi, the Uttarakashi town water supply project, Badkot water supply project, Gangotri water supply project and Yamunotri water supply project along with the Netala project of Harsil have been restored.

For the maintenance of these supply lines and for provision of water through tankers, 2,320 personnel have been deployed at the site.

Power supply resumed in villages
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 26
Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) is engaged in repairing damage to resume power supply in the areas affected due to then natural disaster in the state.

The department has resumed power supply in 277 villages out of 550 villages in Rudraprayag district, 118 villages out of 209 villages of Chamoli, 15 villages out of 37 in Pithoragarh district, 13 out of 30 villages of Chakrata, 13 out of 15 villages in Bagheshwar and 199 out of 175 villages in Nainital district.

The department claimed that supply in rest of the villages in would be resumed in the next two days.

In Tehri district, power supply has been resumed in 455 out of 531 villages in Tehril district and 46 villages out of 79 villages in Champavat district. Electricity has been resumed in Haridwar district and Udham Singh Nagar as well.

First batch of Mansarovar yatra crosses into Tibet
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, June 26
The first batch of 51 pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra crossed into Tibet from the 17,500-ft high Lipulekh Pass here this morning.

“The pilgrims covered a 2-km track full of snow to cross into the Chinese territory.” said Ranvir Singh, an ITBP officer. "The batch will spend eight days in China, where the members will have a glimpse the holy Kailas and take a holy dip in the Mansarovar lake,” said DK Sharma, general manager (tourism), Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam, the nodal agency for the pilgrimage.

The pilgrimage for the remaining nine batches has been suspended by the Ministry of External Affairs due to damaged roads and bridges on the trek route.

The further decision would be taken at a meeting in New Delhi on July 3.

Technical varsity gives Rs 25 lakh
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 26
Various organisations and individuals have started extending help to those pilgrims and local people affected by the natural calamity.The Vice-Chancellor of the Uttarakhand Technical University, Professor D S Chauhan, handed over a draft of Rs 25 lakh to Governor Dr Aziz Qureshi on behalf of the univeristy for the State Relief Fund here today.

Meanwhile, Jasbir and Kanisk Garg of Surabhi Club Julandhar and Chandramouli of Akshat Foundation presented a truck full of relief material and drinking water bottles for disaster-hit victims. The items will be distributed through Red Cross Society. Governor extended his gratitude to the representatives.

Aeri writes to Prez
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 26
President of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal Kashi Singh Aeri submitted a memorandum in the office of district office addressed to the President appealing him to declare the disaster in the state as national disaster.

Aeri said the calamity was going to get grim in another two months, when monsoons would keep lashing the state. He said Himalayas and the people living there belong to the entire nation.

Hence this disaster should be declared as national disaster. He said the rehabilitation at damaged places was not possible withoutnational assistance.

Guv for steps to check spread of epidemic
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, June 26
Governor and President of the Indian Red Cross Committee (Uttarakhand chapter ) Aziz Qureshi has called for preventive measures to check the spread of any kind of epidemic in the wake of the natural disaster in the state.

Chairing a meeting of the office-bearers of the Uttarakhand Red Cross Society last evening, he discussed about an action plan regarding health-related measures post natural calamity.

Qureshi said preventive measures ought to be taken before the possible spread of epidemic owing to bodies in calamity-hit areas. Describing Red Cross as one of the active and effective agencies, he said challenges had to be mitigated by launching campaigns with the assistance of NGOs, ex-servicemen, Youth Red Cross and teachers.

The Governor, in view of heavy rains in coming months and snowfall in the higher ranges, would issue directives to the District Magistrates asking them to instruct through videoconferencing all Red Cross district units to prepare themselves to rehabilitate the affected people on a war footing.

He said it was of the utmost importance to launch campaigns with people's participation to ensure the availability of drinking water, life-saving medicines and assist government in relief and rehabilitation works. He said sufficient medicines should be available at public dispensaries, besides conducting public awareness campaigns.

A lifetime member of the Red Cross Society from Pithoragarh, Nandan Singh Tolia apprised the Governor of the devastation at Choudas and Vyas Valley in Dharchula and Munsiyari due to heavy rains and landslides.

He said all communication sources were broken in these villages located at higher altitudes and it had become necessary to provide them relief through air service.

The Governor immediately contacted the Commissioner, Kumaon Division, and issued necessary directives.

Society general secretary IS Pal said Red Cross was running a relief camp at Rishikesh for disaster-affected people.

Also present at the meeting was Secretary to the Governor Arun Dhaundiya, Vice-President Ranjit Singh, Director, Education, Dr Gwal, Shanti Bahuguna, Dr Chhaya Shukla and Dr MS Ansari.