By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 8 Sep: An inter-ministerial central team constituted by the Union Home Ministry departed from Dehradun today to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the unparalleled devastation caused by this year’s monsoon across several districts of Uttarakhand. Before the team’s departure from Dehradun for the disaster affected areas, Secretary, Disaster Management, Vinod Kumar Suman, give an extensive briefing to the team at the State Emergency Operation Centre. Suman shared the details of the widespread destruction resulting from flash floods, landslides and cloudbursts in various parts of the state. The team is composed of senior officials from multiple central ministries and today left Dehradun to visit the severely affected districts of Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Pauri, Bageshwar and Nainital, where it is expected to conduct on-the-spot evaluations to inform and direct both immediate relief and longer-term rehabilitation initiatives.
It may be recalled that the preliminary surveys conducted by the state government indicate a grim picture. Uttarakhand has sought a special relief package of Rs 5,702 crores from the Centre, a request that comprises Rs 3,758 crore meant specifically for the stabilisation of vulnerable infrastructure and settlements. As per the official sources, the extent of loss is severe and the preliminary estimates suggest that the monsoon-related damages alone have exceeded the figure of Rs 3,000 crores, with heavy tolls on the Public Works Department, irrigation, energy, and a range of other public service sectors. In addition, since April, the disasters have already claimed over 75 lives, left more than 107 injured and about 95 persons missing. The floods and landslides having swept away homes, fields, and livelihoods. Dharali village in Uttarkashi remains in distress after the catastrophic cloudburst and subsequent flash flood of 5 August, which devastated local infrastructure, left many missing, and claimed multiple lives. The survivors continue to live in makeshift tents, depending on community-run kitchens for their daily needs as formal relief and rehabilitation measures progress at a sluggish pace. The eyewitnesses allege considerable delays in the rescue operations though the officials assert that relief missions utilised all available resources, including sniffer dogs, thermal scanners, and the deployment of military personnel.
In response to the scale of the disaster, the Union Home Ministry has constituted several inter-ministerial central teams, one of which is now on a visit to Uttarakhand, to be dispatched to affected states once the conditions and access routes allow. These teams comprise senior representatives from the Ministries of Jal Shakti, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Rural Development, Power, Roads and Highways, and Expenditure. The Centre has already mobilised emergency logistics: the National Disaster Response Force, Army units and Air Force helicopters are engaged in search, rescue and infrastructure restoration operations.
The team visiting Uttarakhand is led by R Prasanna, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs. Accompanying him are six other members, including Under Secretary Sher Bahadur, Superintending Engineer Sudhir Kumar, Deputy Director Vikas Sachan, Chief Engineer Pankaj Singh and Director Virendra Singh.
The ongoing assessment by the inter-ministerial team is expected to be vital in informing national relief policies and guiding the allocation of aid, while also spotlighting the urgent necessity for resilient infrastructure, robust environmental safeguards, and effective disaster management strategies in the fragile landscape of Uttarakhand.
