Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 5 Aug: The Congress has accused the BJP Government of insensitivity and complete failure in providing rehabilitation and compensation to victims of the Dharali disaster. The chief opposition party has reminded that one year has passed since the devastating floods struck Dharali in Bhagirathi valley of Uttarkashi district on 5 August 2025, which had claimed dozens of lives and destroyed hundreds of homes, hotels and apple orchards.
State spokesperson of the Congress, Pratima Singh today launched a sharp attack on the government, alleging that despite the tall claims of development, the ground reality is that affected families are still struggling for survival. She said the administration has attempted to hide its failures behind paperwork and token relief, describing the compensation as a cruel joke in the face of losses worth crores. Traders whose hotels, guest houses and homestays were reduced to rubble have been handed only a paltry sum under the disaster relief manual, insufficient even to construct a single room. Businesses remain paralysed and many are weighed down by debt.
She added that the apple orchards, the backbone of livelihood in Dharali and Harsil valley, continue to lie buried under debris. The government has failed to restore the land or provide long‑term financial packages to the farmers. She further claimed that the distribution of new saplings has been reduced to a headline‑driven exercise while the actual horticulturists are left struggling for every rupee. She also claimed that the displaced families are still forced to live in the tin sheds and the rented rooms, with no permanent rehabilitation policy in place even after a year. Despite the known geological sensitivity of the region, no long‑term safety plan has been prepared.
Pratima Singh criticised the poor state of the Char Dham route and unsafe infrastructure, noting that the government boasts of maintaining the Gangotri National Highway while the reality is that the temporary routes built by BRO remain hazardous. She cited the recent rains when deep cracks and subsidence appeared near Bhatwari and Dharali, which ‘exposed the superficial nature’ of the government’s work and lack of scientific construction.
She warned that the people of Uttarakhand will not forget this indifference and failure. According to her, the wounds inflicted on the self‑respecting hill communities will translate into political consequences, and in the 2027 Assembly elections the ruling party will face the cost of its neglect. She asserted that unless the affected are compensated according to their actual losses and permanent rehabilitation is initiated, the people of Bhagirathi valley will not forgive the government.
