Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 10 Sep: The inter-ministerial team from the Government of India, visiting to assess the damage caused by disasters in the state, called on Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the Secretariat here, today, and discussed the disaster situation with him.
According to state officials, the central team lauded the relief work and operations done by the state government in response to the disaster. On this occasion, the CM reminded the team that Uttarakhand is an extremely sensitive state from a disaster perspective. During the monsoon period, the state has to grapple with serious problems of landslides, floods, and waterlogging caused by excessive rainfall.
The CM also emphasised that, to reduce the damage caused by landslides, national-level institutions must work together to further develop the prediction system. He noted that, this year, due to extremely heavy rainfall, significant damage has occurred in various parts of the state. Along with loss of life, property has also suffered extensive damage. He pointed out that, in the state’s mountainous regions, incidents of cloud bursts and landslides cause permanent damage to the land, making it impossible to reuse such areas for agriculture or construction. He stressed the need for an effective action plan in this regard.
Members of the inter-ministerial team from the Union Government have returned to Dehradun after assessing the disaster damage by visiting various areas in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli, Bageshwar, and Nainital districts. Today they also held discussions in this regard with the CM. Led by Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, R Prasanna, the team includes Additional Secretary Sher Bahadur, Superintending Engineer Sudhir Kumar, Deputy Director Vikas Sachan, Chief Engineer Pankaj Singh, and Director Dr Virendra Singh. The inter-ministerial team, mentioning the feedback received after interacting with disaster-affected people, described the relief operations conducted by the state government in the affected areas as appreciable. The central team also termed the arrangements made for the disaster-affected people, including proper accommodation and food in relief camps, availability of medical facilities on the spot, and other basic amenities, as commendable.
The central team also observed that the immediate financial assistance of Rs 5 lakhs provided by the state government to the relatives of those who lost their lives in the disaster and to those whose houses were completely damaged has brought significant relief to the affected individuals. The central team also appreciated the initiative of the state government in ensuring that complete data on all pregnant women is available with the district administration and maintaining continuous contact for their health and safe delivery arrangements. Team members mentioned that they would recommend adopting such important initiatives in other states as well.
Significantly, the central team further noted that, during their visit, they had observed a future risk of damage due to excessive silt deposition in rivers caused by landslides and floods in the affected areas, leading to a rise in water levels.
On this occasion, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Principal Secretary RK Sudhanshu, Secretary, Disaster Management, Vinod Kumar Suman, and Additional Chief Executive Officer, State Disaster Management Authority, Anand Swaroop were among those present.
