Rain Warnings Again As Thousands Still To Be Evacuated

There is possibility of moderate to heavy rains lashing the ravaged areas of Uttarakhand in next 24- 48 hours. The weathermen have warned in advance. There are  around 80 -90 thousand people who are still waiting to be evacuated from the troubled zone in the hills. Even with best of efforts, the rescue and relief team of the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and the Indo Tibetan Border Police, it is not possible to take all the stranded pilgrims and tourists out of the devastated areas.

What causes concern is more damage to the already damaged road links if the there is heavy downpour again. The affected parts of the hills have become fragile after the torrential rains. Any further onslaught of rains and flowing water from down the hills may result in fresh landslides in the region. The rescue team has been asked to complete the operation as far as possible in another 48 hours.

Reports from the affected areas are disturbing. There is acute shortage of food and ration in the entire region with supply chain totally snapped. Some of the survivors are reported have died of hunger, according to unconfirmed reports.

The government has put a ban of one year on travel to the four ‘Dhams’ in Uttarkhand. But as the situation stands today, it may take longer time to restore the road links to the region and much longer time to rehabilitate the displaced local population who have lost their home and hearth. The state government is yet come out with relief package for the affected population in the hills. Funds are there but when it comes to disbursing the money to the beneficiaries, the officials and politicians are first to embezzle the money from the relief fund and relief operation. This must stop.

That there have been callous neglect in disaster management is clear by now following admission of the state chief minister Vijay Bahuguna about the lapses. This is not for the first time that torrential rains wrecked havoc in the region. But the successive state governments ever since the creation of Uttarakhand in the year 2000 and even the state government of undivided Uttar Pradesh neglected the area for long.

Despite more than 50 helicopters pressed into service, the rescue operations are being affected for want of landing facilities. There are very few helipads in the area. Any government with vision and sincerity would have gone for building series of helipads in vulnerable locations. Hundreds of people who could have been airlifted remain stuck since helicopters cannot land in those locations. They wait for bus, van and trucks for getting out and reach the nearest point where landing facilities are available.

One can only pray to the rain God to show some mercy when it pours again in the devastated zone. Had the government paid heed to the met department warning on June 13, the number casualties would have been much less. Soon after the warning the government should have stop entry into the area and would have started evacuating the tourists and pilgrims by road before the strategy struck.

Footnote:

An elected member of Lok Sabha is a worried man as many of the people stranded in Uttarakhand are from his constituency. In an attempt to play  good Samaritan, the politician hired a chopper to airlift the stranded people from his state (in western region). When the helicopter landed in the area, people rushed to get into it. All but people of his constituency got into it. There was no way the officers commanding the rescue operation could ask people to disembark and make room for a group of persons for whom the chopper was sent. Politician now rues that only a handful of his people could be airlifted in more than three sorties that cost him a couple of crores of rupees. Why regret gentleman, after all the stranded people were rescued.

~R. K. Sinha