CM meets Governor
Dehradun, June 25
Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna called on Governor Aziz Qureshi at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday and apprised him about the rescue and relief works being carried out by the state government.

Dogbhihghat residents clear road of debris as MC ignores plea
Mussoorie, June 25
Residents of Dogbhighat resorted to 'Gandhigiri' when the Municipal Council by collecting money and clearing the debris on their own in Mussoorie, today refused to pay any heed to the landslip that occurred on the Woodstock-Dobhighat road.

A village near Joshimath that has been hit by landslides following heavy rains in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Tribune photo

Tibetans to donate pocket money
Mussoorie, June 25
Staff and students of Tibetan Homes Foundation, Mussoorie, have expressed concern over the loss of lives in the natural disaster that struck the state recently.

Haridwar, June 25
With relief camps being organised in a substantial number in Haridwar, political parties seem to have set these up with a view to getting political mileage only.

This can be gauged by the fact that instead of putting up information for affected pilgrims coming from flood-affected areas in the hill region, party-based relief camps are displaying their party symbols, national, state and local leaders' photos and hoardings only.

Bharatiya Janata Party district unit is trying to put party symbol flags in the camp as well as on the vehicles, and party leaders seem to wait for media personnel to get active at these camps.

Former state Cabinet minister and three-time city legislator Madan Kaushik is drawing flak for not being present at the party-organised relief camp. Instead, he hosted a ''bhoj'' (mass food) for party activists and local public where lavish dishes were on the offering.

Though this was a pre-planned get-together party, owing to natural calamity in the state, Kaushik could have cancelled this, but instead he went ahead and those who attended the lunch said that this was one of the grand lunches hosted by the political leaders in recent times.

When contacted close aide of Kaushik, divisional party chief Vikas Tiwari said that as this lunch was held outside the city premises, not much should be looked into this.

He added further that party activists are helping in relief aid camp and contributing for funds, under guidance of Kaushik, and his protégé Mayor Manoj Garg is himself remaining present at railway station party relief camp.

Similar is the condition of relief camps set up by Congress Party with two factions coming out against each other to garner media and national party leaders' eyes. Congress has set up two major camps at the railway station and bus station premises with one faction coming into the open as Union Minister Ambika Soni was apprised about one such camp during her recent visit to Haridwar.

Ambika inspected the camp at the railway station only, antagonising the bus station camp party organisers. Both of the organisers of these camps are trying to claim to be official, laying the blame on each other for trying to garner media attention.

City party chief OP Chauhan said that Ambika Soni was misled by a city-based party leader who was accompanying her during her visit to the city along with another senior leader Moti Lal Vohra.

Former Women State Commission chairperson Santosh Chauhan ,who herself is remaining present at a relief camp -cum-information centre, said that party activists should concentrate on only delivering relief aid to the affected people. It was not a political issue but a social issue, affecting thousands of people which should be kept in mind.

Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party and regional outfits like Uttarakhand Kranti Dal, Uttarakhand Jantantrik Morcha led by ex-state Cabinet minister Diwakar Bhatt and Raksha Morcha have failed to set up any such camp for the affected pilgrims.

• Big display of symbols, leaders' photos, hoardings
• Ex-Cabinet minister hosts ''bhoj'' for activists
• Bid to draw maximum political mileage 

Haridwar, June 25
The water level in the Ganga in Haridwar is nearing the danger level as rains continued to lash parts of Uttarakhand for the past two days.

The water level in the Ganga at Saptsarovar was just a few centimetres below the warning level mark of 293 metre while the danger level is 294 metre.

An alert has been sounded in areas near the Ganga, particularly those which got flooded after the natural calamity. The district administration is watching the water level and the water flow of the river is being regulated at the Ganga canal.

Sub Divisional Officer, Ganga Canal, Uttar Pradesh, VV Singh said the water level in the Ganga in Haridwar had crossed the danger level on June 16 and 17, submerging nearby areas in Roorkee and Lakshar as well.

That is why the Ganga canal was closed for a few days and was regulated from the Chaudhari Charan Singh Bhimgoda barrage and the Mayapur dam to minimise the impact alongside it.

District Disaster Management Officer Naresh Chaudhari said the disaster management team had been on alert since past fortnight and sensitive areas had already been earmarked taking into account the flood analysis of the past few years.

He added the administration was in touch with Roorkee-based Bengal Engineers Group sappers, whose help had been taken in rescue efforts in flood-like situations in Haridwar in the past few years. Meanwhile, the district administration has sent 17 truckloads of relief material to Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Bageshwar and the Lakshar-Khanpur belt.

District Magistrate Nidhi Pandey said trucks carrying dry ration, food packets, medicines, blankets, water resistant sheets, umbrellas, readymade clothes, shoes and other commodities were being flagged off regularly.

She added that the Haridwar administration was instantly sending relief material according to the demands of nodal officers in the disaster-affected districts. 

Dehradun, June 25
The Central and the state agencies are aiming to wrap up the entire rescue operations by Friday, VK Duggal, former Home Secretary and member of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and coordinating operations between the state and Central Government agencies has said.

''The target of all the Central and state agencies is to clear the area of stranded persons by Friday and the Central Government is extending all support to the state government,'' he said while speaking with mediapersons today at a joint press conference by VK Duggal and Chief Secretary Subash Kumar.

Duggal said that he had personally met pilgrims today in Chinyalisaur to get a feedback about the rescue and relief operations and they were more than satisfied.

Subash Kumar said that out of the 1200-1250 persons stranded yesterday in Harsil, around 369 were airlifted from Harsil and 120 from Badrinath through choppers.

''Now 4000 persons are stuck at Badrinath and 1000 at Harsil. These people would be evacuated latest by tomorrow,'' he said.

Due to bad weather the MI 17 choppers could not carry out any operations in Chamoli, but through private choppers 120 persons were dropped at Joshimath. Around 1,300 are being brought via road by the Indian Army.

A joint combing operation was carried by the Central government agencies in places that have been cleared of stranded persons.

Out of the 86 sadhus living in Garud Chatti (Kedarnath), 32 were brought to Kedarnath. Four MI-17 helicopters were pressed into operation today.

The Chief Secretary said that from tomorrow packets containing ration would be dropped in the affected areas of the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions. ''The exercise would be supervised by the Commissioners of the two divisions and the District Magistrates of the districts,'' said Kumar.

He failed to give figures on the number of people who have been affected by the floods in both the divisions.

The Chief Secretary said that all the choppers that are currently in operation in Uttarakhand would continue to remain in the state for carrying out relief operations in the flood-affected parts of Uttarakhand.

Mussoorie, June 25
Residents of Gurdwara Mohalla in Balrowganj were at the receiving end today when water entered their houses from the overflowing drainage system of a five-star hotel in Mussoorie triggered by overnight incessant rains.

The drainage water entered dozens of uses,damaging the belongings of the residents who had to run for cover early in the morning.

The SDM of Mussoorie (in white shirt) directs officials of Jaypee Hotel after residents complained about waterlogging at Balrowganj; (Right) Barlowganj residents complain about the faulty drainage system of Jaypee Hotel on Tuesday. Tribune photos

The residents blamed the poor drainage system of Hotel Jaypee Residency Manor for waterlogging in their houses. They created a ruckus and tried to confront the hotel administration officials directly. They were pacified only after the intervention of the SDM of Mussoorie, NS Dangi, who reached the spot early this morning.

Local residents Anil Godiyal and Atul Singh along with others cornered Dangi and informed him that the hotel administration had not made adequate arrangements of drainage system for the newly constructed 60 additional rooms of the hotel. They said water from these rooms enters their homes and destroys their household items whenever the area receives a heavy downpour.

Anil Godiyal said the storage tank constructed by the hotel could burst at any moment, thus endangering the lives of the residents here.

Dangi took stock of the situation and directed the hotel administration to construct a sidewall and release around Rs 2,000 as interim relief to the affected persons. 

Dehradun, June 25
Mayor Vinod Chamoli today visited the affected parts of Bhagat Singh, Mohini Road and Rajiv Colony here. Water had entered some houses there after a river embankment broke in the rain.

Chamoli gave directions to the engineers of Dehradun Municipal Corporation to install meshed fencing in the area and ensure that this problem did not arise again.

Mukhya Nagar Adkhikari Ashok Kumar said he had also directed to that sacks full of stones be put and the meshed fencing covered with stones so that river water did not flow into the houses.

During the day today, people met the Mayor and made complaints about damage caused by the rain.

RS Rana, resident of Mata Mandir Colony at AjabpurKala said there was no let out for collected water in his area.

The situation became worse with the sewerage being chocked in that pocket.

The Mayor called up Jal Sansthan officials to take up this matter.

Krishan Gupta reported of an embankment breaking in Govindgarh. She said the boundary wall in two adjoining houses had developed deep cracks and could fall any time.

Mohammad Nazakat of Devki Bazar also complained of water getting into his house and damaging the furniture and clothes.

The Mayor directed the engineers to do the needful urgently in these cases. 

Mussoorie, June 25
Residents of Dogbhighat resorted to 'Gandhigiri' when the Municipal Council by collecting money and clearing the debris on their own in Mussoorie, today refused to pay any heed to the landslip that occurred on the Woodstock-Dobhighat road.

They said the landslip occurred on the Woodstock-Dobhighat road after the overnight incessant rains. The falling mud debris led to the blockage of the road. When the matter was reported to the Municipal Council of Mussoorie, its officials allegedly turned a blind eye to the problem.

The residents then resorted to Gandhigiri and collected around Rs 3,000 and hired labourers to clear the debris.

A local resident, Rajesh Kanojia, later told the media that after the landslip, they had met the executive officer of the council, but he did not addressing the problem.

The road is used by schoolchildren who were finding difficulty reaching their schools. Therefore, it was decided to open the road after collecting of Rs 3,000, said Kanojia. He further said that such lackadaisical attitude of the officials towards their area was nothing new. 

Mussoorie, June 25
Staff and students of Tibetan Homes Foundation, Mussoorie, have expressed concern over the loss of lives in the natural disaster that struck the state recently.

At a function held here today, they organised special prayers for the victims.

Students and staff decided to donate their one-month pocket money and one-month salary, respectively, for the victims.

Gedun Rinchen, assistant general secretary of Tibetan Homes Foundation School, also flagged off a truck carrying relief material for the victims.

Rinchen said: "There has been a large-scale destruction of property and loss of lives in the disaster. We are grief-stricken at the magnitude of the damage suffered by the people. We have decided to contribute a month's salary to express solidarity with the government and the people of the state."

One of the students said the people of the country had always been supportive to their cause and during this hour of need, they felt their duty to contribute by donating a month's pocket money in the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

Mass prayers were also held at the Tsering Dolma auditorium of the school by Tibetan Lamas, who prayed for the safe evacuation of the stranded pilgrims.

The Tibetan community has set up camps at various places to provide free food to the victims.

A staff member said two trucks loaded with relief material would be sent to Jolly Grant for the affected persons on Wednesday.