By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 20 Aug: Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee President, Karan Mahra, accompanied by several Congress leaders toured the disaster affected area in Raipur Block of Dehradun. He visited Maldevta Jhol, Kumalda, Sherki, PPCL, Sarkhet villages of Raipur disaster area and visited the houses of the victims to know their well being. Mahra also took stock of the damage caused to life and property in various areas and the Soura bridge that collapsed due to heavy rains and divine calamity. He said that hundreds of bighas of farmers’ land has been submerged in the river, houses of four families had been demolished, people were forced to live in the open sky under tarpaulins and were passing the night under open sky.
Mahra apprehended that many people were reported to be missing due to the disaster, but so far only the bodies of five persons could be recovered. While expressing deep condolences to the deceased in the disaster, Mahra wished them strength to bear the losses.
On this occasion, he claimed that it has been a very short time since the bridge was built, but due to the connivance of the officials and contractors, such accidents were happening every day. Earlier also a similar incident happened in the bridge connecting Rishikesh. But the government did not take any lesson from this. He said that there has been loss of lakhs along with life and property to the people affected by the disaster, which was very difficult to compensate. He said that due to the negligence of the administration, people were not getting help on time, due to which the people there are feeling insecure. He said that if the administration and the government had taken cognisance earlier, then such a disaster could have been avoided. He has demanded from the government to give proper compensation to the people affected by the disaster as well as to shift them to a safer place. He said that there has been heavy wastage of fruits and crops at various places in the state, due to the closure of more than 200 roads in the entire state as a result of landslides, and tourists and the people of the state are facing a lot of difficulties.
Karan Mahra said that the BJP government, which took the credit for the all-weather road, now stood exposed as the all weather roads were getting damaged due to rains. On this occasion Mathura Dutt Joshi, Mahendra Singh Negi, Dr Jaswinder Singh Gogi, Manish Nagpal, Media Panelist Shishpal Singh Bisht, Surat Singh Negi were amongst those present.
