Uttarakhand: Hundreds of buildings washed away

DEHRADUN: More than 300 multi-storey buildings, hotels, shops and other business establishments, built on ecologically-sensitive areas close to Ganga and its tributaries like Alaknanda,madakini Bhagirathi, kali Ganga and Gauri Ganga, which were swept away or were extensively damaged due to flash floods, were illegally constructed.

"Documentary evidence with the department of town planning indicates that most of these structures, including 60  hotles in Chamoli and Rudrapryag, were built in blatant violation of norms laid down by the department," said a senior Uttarakhand government official.

  A survey by a 10-member team of officials in the town planning department a few years ago revealed most of these structures were built before Uttarakhand was carved out in 2000. Owners of these hotels and houses did not bother to obtain permission from competent authorities like district magistrates and sub-divisional magistrates before building these structures in the ecologically-sensitive areas close to rivers.

"These buildings can't be built on government land like forest and revenue land, but even if some people have built these structures on private land, they can do so only after permission from authorities," said an expert with the government.

A source in the town planning department said most of these structures were built without adhering to the Regulation of Building Construction Act and were came up without adherence to the master plan of the town planning department. Under this master plan, no structures including hotels, shops, business establishments and houses are to be built in ecologically-sensitive areas close to rivers known as flood plains.

"As most of these structures were built illegally at the cost of inviting major calamity resulting in massive loss of lives and properties, their owners are bound to face the consequences," said Nainital-based environmentalist, Ajay Rawat.

Chief secretary Subhash Kumar said although the government is yet to consider compensation for those who lost their properties in flash floods and landslides in the 13 districts of Garhwal and Kumaon, it will not compensate those whose built illegal properties that got washed away.

"After all, there certain criteria for compensating disasters' victims," said Kumar, adding that the government will conduct a survey after the rescue work to ensure only legitimate victims of the tragedy were compensated.

DMs and chairmen of development authorities in all the 13 districts have begun identifying illegal hotels and buildings close to the Ganga and its tributaries which were ordered to be demolished by a HC directive two months ago.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0zN_fvoTdU 

More air support needed to rescue those stranded

NEW DELHI: Even as relief and rescue operations in flood-hit Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh picked up after restoration of the communications network and use of over a dozen helicopters in far-flung areas on Tuesday, it may take another two to three days to trace and evacuate all tourists and pilgrims who have been stranded there for the last 48 hours.

Sources, however, said air support to rescue those stranded in the  Kedarnath valley was inadequate as roads were completely washed away and even if the rain stopped, people would have to be evacuated only by air as road repairs could take months. "We need to make at least 400 sorties to rescue all the stranded people. Right now, we are not making more than 40-50 sorties. We need more air support to ensure people are rescued in time as Kedarnath valley has only temporary arrangements during the season and there are no stocks. So there are supply constraints," said a senior official from ITPB which rescued around 1,500 people from Govindghat in Uttarakhand on Tuesday.

Army and paramilitary forces including ITBP and  (NDRF) personnel communicated with each other through wireless communication system and airlifted many stranded people with the help of Indian air force (IAF) helicopters during the day.

Though the forces pitched in for rescue operations right from day one, absence of contingency plan on the ground in both Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh delayed the process.

Admitting delay, NDMA vice-chairman M Shashidhar Reddy told TOI that there was some communication gap between state authorities and central agencies on Sunday night, but Army, ITBP and NDRF personnel acted swiftly the moment they assessed the extent of damage the next morning.

Reddy said, "It seems the state authorities did not anticipate such a situation in mid-June as this part of the country generally does not have such heavy rains during the month. The NDMA and home ministry are in constant touch with local authorities after rushing Army and paramilitary personnel for immediate relief and rescue operations."

Over 5,000 Army personnel, 10 aircraft of IAF and nearly 1,000 ITBP personnel have been deployed in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh for relief and rescue operations.

Home secretary R K Singh said food, medicines and blankets were air-dropped in remote areas of both the states for the flood-affected people.

"We have provided seven helicopters to Uttarakhand. The state government has also hired four private helicopters. We are providing helicopters to Himachal Pradesh," said Singh who held a meeting with representatives of the state government, BRO, ITBP, NDRF, IAF and ministry of defence to review the steps being taken.

Border Road Organization (BRO) has mobilized its personnel to facilitate restoration of road communication across different routes. It has been asked to assist the state PWD in restoring communication to both Rekong Peo and Sangla Valley.

"The devastation in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh has been extensive. Efforts are in full swing for search and rescue of the affected persons. The central government is extending all the assistance as sought for by the state governments," the home ministry said in a statement.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0zN_fvoTdU 

Rain toll rises to 131, over 73,000 pilgrims stranded

DEHRADUN/SHIMLA: Torrential rains continued to pour in bad news from north India on Tuesday, with flash floods, cloudbursts and landslips claiming 69 more lives and taking the official death toll to 131, making for the most tragic tidings of monsoon in recent years. More than 73,000 pilgrims bound for the Himalayan shrines of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri remained stranded in Uttarakhand and about 1,700 tourists were stuck in Himachal Pradesh.

The rains left 102 people dead in Uttarakhand, almost as many injured, and smashed hundreds of houses. The remaining deaths were reported from Himachal Pradesh.

Based on reports from volunteers on the pilgrim route, the VHP said the toll could be in thousands. Its statement said bodies were strewn around the Kedarnath temple and Gauri Kund, from where the trek to Kedarnath commences, had been washed away.

The worst-hit was Rudraprayag where 20 people drowned and 73 buildings, including 40 hotels along the banks of Alaknanda, were swept away by the swirling waters of the ice-cold river.

Police said seven members of a family, including two minors, died after the hotel they were staying was consumed by the river.

Char Dham pilgrims, thousands of them from Delhi and surrounding areas, are still stranded due to extensive damage to roads in Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi. Disaster management authorities said more than 27,000 devotees are stuck in Chamoli; 25,000-odd in Rudraprayag; and close to 10,000 in Uttarkashi. Around 10,000 people stuck are travelers and other tourists.

While security forces were pressed in rescue operations, even some of them have fallen victim to the flood's ferocity. Bodies of three Indo-Tibetan Border Police jawans and two police constables were recovered from the debris at Kedarnath, official sources said. Two IAF helicopters and two private choppers flew sorties in Chamoli district, which is badly hit. Private choppers have been dropping food supplies to people stuck in Pulna and Bundar villages en route to Hemkunt Sahib.

Two IAF copters ferried hundreds of pilgrims from Kedarnath to Fata helipad in Rudraprayag. "Chopper services were launched on a war footing with no fresh spell of rain in the morning at most places in Uttarakhand," said SDM, Rudraprayag, L N Mishra.



A let-up in the rain and a decrease in the water level of the Ganga and its tributaries allowed rescue efforts to pick up pace in flood- and landslidehit areas of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. More than a dozen helicopters were deployed in the two states for relief and rescue operations.

In  Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singhwas evacuated from Kinnaur district, where he was cut off for nearly 60 hours due to raintriggered landslides.

Although three MI-17 helicopters, two of the Indian Army and one of the state government, were deployed, a large number of tourists were trapped in different parts of the district where all roads were blocked following landslides. PWD engineer Pradeep Chauhan said it would take three to four days to clear the roads.



In UP, an alert was issued after water levels in most rivers touched the danger mark. Three people died in Maharajganj district due to the heavy rain that lashed most parts of the state during the last 24 hours. In Saharanpur, the Army was called in to assist in relief and rescue operations. Reports of receding water levels in some major rivers by the evening, however, came as a major relief to the authorities who said the situation would be brought under control by Wednesday afternoon. The Delhi-Palia section of the National Highway near Lakhimpur had to be closed down after it was submerged.

In Haryana, the water level in the Yamuna started receding but many villages in Yamunanagar and Karnal districts continued to remain water-logged. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot announced a financial aid of Rs 2 crore to Uttarakhand. According to government sources, at least 800 people from the state were stuck in various districts in Uttarakhand.

The West Bengal government offered assistance. "I have spoken to the Uttarakhand CM," said West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata. "I have requested him to rescue the tourists and pilgrims from Bengal, stuck mainly in Kedarnath. We are making arrangements for some choppers to airlift them. We have also requested the Uttarakhand government to send the tourists to Delhi, from where we will take care of these people."  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0zN_fvoTdU