By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 9 Sep: A large majority of families which have been displaced and affected by the recent calamities in Uttarakhand have demanded proper relocation and rehabilitation. The villagers openly expressed this demand before the Central inter-ministerial team visiting Uttarakhand. The team today visited Bageshwar to assess the devastation, led by R Prasanna of the Union Home Ministry, after touring the worst-hit villages in Rudraprayag, Pauri Garhwal, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Nainital to survey the losses faced by affected families. Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman had yesterday briefed the delegation in detail before their field visits.
In Dharali village, where a flash flood on 5 August left behind 15 to 20 feet of debris and 63 villagers still missing, survivors continue to endure dire conditions. Many are currently living in makeshift tents or verandahs and are relying on community kitchens and uncertain relief efforts, even as snowfall looms. Given the scale of damage, estimated at Rs 1,944 crore between April and August, affecting roads, irrigation, energy, education and health sectors, the State has formally requested a relief and mitigation package totalling Rs 5,702 crores, which includes Rs 3,758 crores for future resilience.
Meanwhile, the Border Roads Organisation has incurred nearly Rs 100 crores in infrastructural losses owing to landslides and flash floods, with emergency repairs estimated at Rs 60 crores. Several key highways, including Joshimath-Malari and Gangotri–Dharasu, have suffered extensive damage. The Gangotri national highway near Sonagad is especially endangered, with the Bhagirathi breaching newly built protections, prompting calls for more robust defences post-monsoon.
Travel and connectivity have come to a halt in many Himalayan precincts. Landslides and debris continue to block routes to Gangotri and Yamunotri, cutting off approximately 100 villages from administrative centres. Pilgrimages to these shrines have been suspended for over twenty days, marking the worst disruption to the Char Dham Yatra since the tragic 2013 Kedarnath floods. In Uttarkashi’s Kupda, Kunsal and Trikhli villages, students have been unable to attend school for more than two months following a bridge collapse.
The monsoon has transformed Uttarakhand into an epicentre of calamity. With agriculture destroyed, roads severed, schools shuttered and homes collapsing, the people’s most pressing question remains: where will they go, and how will they rebuild their lives? The inter-ministerial team’s report may decide whether they can hope for resettlement—or merely more relief.
In Bageshwar, more than 100 villages face subsidence and landslide threats, compounded by unregulated soapstone mining that has triggered cracks in homes and anxiety reminiscent of Joshimath. Over 131 families have already been identified for relocation in Bageshwar. In line with broader rehabilitation efforts, the state had previously announced plans to relocate around 350 disaster-prone villages over the next decade under a special fund. However, it needs to be reminded here that the state does not have a record to be proud of on relocating the disaster affected families.
The issue is far wider than just relocating some identified families in Bageshwar. More than 350 villages across Uttarakhand have long been identified as per the official records, as needing relocation, some flagged decades ago, but most remain where they are due to administrative delays, lack of funds and the complexities of providing alternate livelihoods. The Joshimath disaster of early 2023, when land subsidence forced hundreds of families out of their homes due to cracks in their houses, underlines the urgency of a comprehensive resettlement policy. However, two years on, progress remains painfully slow.
The monsoon has transformed Uttarakhand into an epicentre of calamity. With agriculture destroyed, roads severed, schools shuttered and homes collapsing, the people’s most pressing question remains, where will they go, and how will they rebuild their lives? It remains to be also seen if the inter-ministerial team’s report recommends relocation and resettlement of the affected families or decides on merely a relief amount.
