Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 7 Aug: Chief Secretary (CS) Anand Bardhan conducted a detailed review of the ongoing relief and rescue operations in Dharali by visiting the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) here today. In the meeting, he directed the senior officials from the state administration and the army to intensify the rescue efforts. He also directed the Secretary of the Public Works Department and the officials from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), to prioritise restoration of damaged roads and also directed that all necessary resources required by BRO be provided without delay to expedite the reopening of routes.
The CS also designated Matli as a strategic hub for the entire rescue operation and prioritised the evacuation of the elderly, sick, women, and children. During the meeting, Bardhan stressed that the restoration of road connectivity, electricity, and communication services is of utmost importance to accelerate ongoing operations and stated that round-the-clock efforts are being carried out on a war footing. He stated that all the stranded pilgrims in Gangotri, Harsil, and other affected areas are being relocated to safe locations. Bardhan affirmed that the State Government, district administration, Disaster Management Department, SDRF, NDRF, and other agencies are fully engaged in the rescue and relief missions. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is closely monitoring the situation and issuing continuous directions to ensure that all possible assistance is extended to those affected.
The CS also directed that those stranded in Gangotri, Harsil, and adjoining locations must be supplied with adequate food, drinking water, milk for children, and other essential items. To further expedite relief and rescue operations, Indian Army helicopters Chinook and MI-17 will be stationed at Chinyalisaur.
Bardhan also asserted that the best possible medical attention would be provided to those injured in the Dharali disaster. He instructed the Health Department officials to ensure the availability of doctors, medical staff, and medicines in sufficient quantity. Additionally, he emphasised that a single point of contact must be established at every rescue site and at SEOC to minimise confusion and streamline operations.
Through video conferencing from SEOC, Bardhan also held discussion with the District Magistrates to assess the situation arising from heavy rainfall across the state and issued necessary directives to Disaster Management officials. He reviewed the current monsoon conditions, weather forecasts, rainfall statistics, and the status of roads affected by landslides. He instructed that all closed roads be reopened at the earliest and that essential resources and equipment be pre-positioned in landslide-prone areas. It was further directed that JCBs and necessary tools must reach incident sites within 15 minutes, and swift action was ordered for reopening rural roads.
Secretary, Disaster Management and Rehabilitation, Vinod Kumar Suman shared at the meeting that by the afternoon, today, 274 persons had been safely evacuated from Gangotri and surrounding areas to Harsil. Of these, 131 are from Gujarat, 123 from Maharashtra, 21 from Madhya Pradesh, 12 from Uttar Pradesh, 6 from Rajasthan, 7 from Delhi, 5 from Assam, 5 from Karnataka, 3 from Telangana, and 1 from Punjab. All the rescued persons are in good health and have been shifted towards Uttarkashi and Dehradun. Additionally, 135 people have been safely evacuated from Harsil, out of whom 100 have reached Uttarkashi and 35 have been sent to Dehradun. Thus, a total of 135 individuals have been successfully rescued and sent to secure destinations, while arrangements are in place to prepare 274 individuals at Harsil for further travel.
Among those present during the review included Secretary Shailesh Bagoli, DGP Deepam Seth, GOC Uttarakhand Sub Area Major General MPS Gill, ADG AP Anshuman, Secretaries Dr Pankaj Kumar Pandey and Dr R Rajesh Kumar, Sachin Kurve, IG, Fire, Mukhtar Mohsin, ACEO Administration Anand Swaroop, ACEO Implementation DIG Rajkumar Negi, and JCEO MO Obaidullah Ansari among others.
