Cabinet Secretary
chaired a meeting of concerned Secretaries and senior officials from various
agencies this evening, to take stock of rescue and relief operations.
MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
The Armed Forces today continued their rescue and relief
operations in the worst affected areas of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradeshon awar footing. The present status of aid at 1800 Hrs on 21 June 2013
is as follows:
ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE ARMY
- Approximately 16,000persons have been rescued so far by Road and Army Helicopters.
- 115Helicopters Sorties have been carried out so far.
- Paratroopers have been dropped at Rudraprayag-Kedarnath.
- Plugging of Breach on Shivpuri Bund at Laksar is under progress.
- Army Aviation is operating in Pithoragarh, Joshimath, Dharchula&Gaucher and approximately 100 Paratroopers inserted in small teams to cut off areas.
- 6650 Kg of relief material provided.
The Army has taken following actions at Pooh
Sector in Himachal Pradesh:
- Restoration of BSNL communication.
- Snow/boulder clearance.
- Clearance of helipads.
- Establishment of three Radio detachments at critical Areas.
- Flood monitoring detachments activated at Lepcha, Sumbo, Shipkila & Khab.
ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE AIR FORCE
· IAF has committed 13 more
aircraft to 30 aircraft already carrying out the relief and rescue efforts
taking the total number of aircraft to 43 which includes 36 rotary wing
aircraft( 23 Mi 17IV/Mi 17 V5, 11 ALH, 01 Cheetah, 01 Mi 26), two C130Js, three
AN 32, one AVRO and one IL76.
· As on today - total of about 185 sorties have been flown since
morning inducting 332 rescue workers and evacuating 1357 persons which also
included one pilot of a civil aircraft that crashed at Junglejatti near Kedarnath.
· IAF is also activating landing grounds - Gauchar and Dharasuin Uttarakhand to establish air
bridge for chopper movement
and plans to operate ALH and Cheetah from Gaucher.
· A heavylift Mi- 26 has
already landed at Gaucher with 30 barrels of fuel and 70 paratroppers.
· A C130J committed to recce mission to check valley clearance and facilitate further relief
and rescue operations is also planned to land at Dharasu.
· Mi 26 will continue to operate in this area to maintain supply
of aviation fuel and rescue work and will also provide helilift to
the heavy equipment of BRO for repairs and construction work as well as support
construction of temporary helipads for better extraction of those stuck or
stranded using small helicopters.
· IAF has also started operating detachments at Pithoragarh and Joshimath.
- IAF also dropped 500 Kg food packets and 8000 Kgs air landed
- 96 barrels of fuel positioned at Jolly Grant by two AN 32.
- At Shimla Detachment three shuttles were detailed from Rampur to Sangla. Three helicopters are operating ex Rampur and focus is on Changla and Pooh axis.
MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
In pursuance of
announcement of the Prime Minister, GOI has released an amount of Rs. 145.00 crore from
SDRF (State Disaster Relief Fund) to the Government of Uttarakhand on
20th June
2013.
Home Minister is
visiting the state tomorrow.
A total 15257 victims were rescued Kedarnath, Gaurikund, Govindghat, Pandukeswar, Karnaprayag, Badrinath on and Uttarkashi. ITBP teams are carrying out Rescue and Relief Operation for thousands of
yatries stranded
in Kedarnath, Gaurikund, Govindghat, Pandukeswar, Karnaprayag , Badrinath on and Uttarkashi.
More than 1200 victims have been rescue
from Govindghat area and
brought to Joshimath. The
evacuation will continue tomorrow.
ITBP has evacuated all
victims from Kedarnath Mandir area. However, victims
from Rambada area are
being evacuated on foot to Kedarnath area from where they are being air lifted.
Tomorrow, a bigger helipad will be constructed from where Mi-17 helicopters
will be able to take off and land. Deployment of these choppers will speed up
rescue operations manifold.
Teams of NDRF and ITBP is now
searching for victims in nearby areas.. ITBP airlifted 350 victims from Gaurigaon and 275
victims from Rambada. In Kedarnath area,
some victims climbed to nearby hills during the flooding. They are being
brought down to lower areas from the can be air lifted. Similarly trapped
villagers from nearby areas are also coming to lower areas for evacuation.
Today ITBP made a foot track from
Gaurikund to Sonprayag and 500
victims were evacuated on foot.
A major breakthrough came on Badrinath axis
where more than 10000 people are stranded. ITBP was able to make a rope bridge
at, what used to be the Lambagad bridge
over the river Alaknanda. One
rescue party of the ITBP evacuated about 400 victims from Badrinath on foot,
who were brought to Pandukeshwar. A
staging camp has been established at Pandukeshwar where these victims will stay for the night
where they will be provided food and medical assistance. Tomorrow they will be
moved to Joshimath.
Two log bridges were constructed
on fast flowing rivulets which were used to rescue 200 villagers stranded in
upper reaches of nearby hills.
Carrying relief work at altitude
of more than 10000ft in the cold and difficult climatic conditions of Kedarnath ,Govindghat,Ghaganria and Badrinath is very
difficult and dangerous. Undeterred by all these difficulties and challenges,
ITBP jawans are
doing uninterrupted rescue and relief work since morning.
Three battalions and personnel of
Mountaineering & Skiing institute are carrying out Rescue and Relief
Operation for thousands of yatries stranded in Kedarnath, Gaurikund, Govindghat, Pandukeswar, Karnapyag , Badrinath on and Uttarkashi. Whole route of Char Dham Yatra connecting Badrinath- Joshimath- Kedarnath-Yamunotri and Gangotri is badly affected by heavy rain, landslide,
food, structural failure etc.
ITBP also airlifted its medical teams
comprising many doctors and medics with sufficient stock of emergency
medicines. Victims are being brought to safer places like Guptkashi, Rudrapyag and Gauchar. ITBP is
paying more emphasis to providing relief to victims having no shelter and
support for survival. Tomorrow, more heli sorties will be utilized to send rescue teams,
relief material, food and rescue the victims.
Thousands of yatries stranded
near Ghaghria and Govind Ghat, en route to Hemkund Sahib,
are being rescued by ITBP and local administration. As roads and tracks are
totally washed away, Today mountaineering team of ITBP was employed for rescue
operation there. They made a temporary support structure of climbing ropes to
bring down the victims stranded there. Hundreds of victims rescued are being
accommodated in various shelters in ITBP camp of 1st Battalion ITBP
in Joshimath. More
than 600 victims are being accommodated
in ITBP Emergency Relief shelter and
Medical Center.
Jawans of ITBP has vacated their barracks and have accommodated has been established at ITBP
campus in Joshimath.
In Uttarkashi district, yatris and local population
affected by heavy rain, landslide, broken roads, flood and structural collapse
are being rescued to safer places. They are being provided food, shelter and
medical care by ITBP.
Thousands of Yatries are
stranded at Kedarnath and Badrinath. ITBP
and district administration is conducting search and rescue operation. ITBP is
providing drinking water, food and medical help to all affected yatris.
Accumulations of debris at some
places are several feet high and big boulders
and broken structures are also lying in it.
These
teams are well trained for mountain rescue. They are acclimatized and equipped
with specialized equipments used for
relief and rescue work at high altitude mountainous areas. These teams are
trained for such types of relief and rescue work as ITBP does most of the
search and rescue work in high Himalayas.
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
Ø Minister of Railways, Shri Mallikarjun Kharge gave directions to Railway Board to arrange special
trains to evacuate stranded persons from the calamity hit Uttarakhand areas. The Minister has been reviewing the arrangements
regularly with the Railway Board.
Ø Special trains have been arranged to evacuate stranded persons from
the calamity hit Uttarakhand areas.
Ø Special Trains have started running from Haridwar. Yesterday
i.e. on 20.6.2013, three specials were run to Lucknow,, Delhi and Ambala respectively. More specials are being planned as per the
requirements.
Ø In coordination with Government of Uttarakhand, Indian Railways has decided to carry
stranded passengers free of cost to their respective destinations.
Ø Railway administration is ensuring that sufficient Empty Coaching
Rakes are sent to Haridwar/Dehradun.
Ø A Task Force has been set up at the level of Railway Board under Chairman Railway Board, Shri Vinay Mittal to monitor the situation.
Ø Northern Railway and its Muradabad Division have fully geared up for making appropriate
arrangements (Uttarakhand falls
mostly under Muradabad Railway Division of Northern Railway).
Ø The following Senior officers have been deputed as Special
officers in charge of four most crucial points:
I. Dehradun-Sh. Sanjeev Garg, Chief Commercial Manager/Freight
Marketing–Mob.no. 09717630953
II. Rishikesh -Sh. D. K. Singh, Chief Commercial Manager/Project-Mob.no. – 097171630969
III. Haridwar -Sh. Hitendra Malhotra, Additional Divisional Railway Manager /Moradabad-Mob.no. 09760534001
IV. New Delhi -Sh. Vivek Srivastava,
Additional Divisional Railway Manager/Delhi-Mob.no. -09717631001.
These Officers are maintaining liaison and co-ordination with the
State Civil Authorities and ensuring management and dispersal of passengers by
Train services, running of special trains and also ensuring setting up of
passenger help booths at these locations to be manned round the clock.
Ø The following Helpline nos. have been installed:
I. Haridwar: 09760534054/09760534055
II. Dehradun: 01352-622131
III. Rishikesh:01352-434167
Ø RPF officers with adequate contingent of Inspectors/constables
have been deputed at these locations.
Ø Doctors and paramedical staff in sufficient numbers have been
deployed at these
Stations.
Ø Railways have ensured setting up of additional Booking and Enquiry
Counters at above Locations for handling the additional requirement
of Booking, Enquiries and Refund etc.
Ø Adequate arrangement of Catering facilities and Drinking water has
been ensured at these locations.
Ø Frequent Announcements through the Public Address System regarding
status of Trains and other Passenger related services has been
ensured.
MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND IT
· In
the affected districts of Chamoli, Rudraprayag and
Uttar Kashi,
739 towers are in place, of which 207 are down.
· They
will be made operational in 24 hours subject to access.
· Emergency
services: 100, 101, 102, 108 are all operational. This includes not only BSNL,
but also private telecom operators.
· The
Department of Telecom has also issued instructions to all Telcos,
that the toll free public utility emergency numbers must be operational and
accessible to customers in affected areas by 3pm today.
MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM
Availability of
Petroleum Products in flood-affected regions
ATF - Aviation Refuellers have
been positioned at Rampur, Shimla and Gauchar.
42 refuellings comprising
of 36000 litres have already been carried out from these locations between 19th
and 20th evening for the helicopters involved in rescue operations. Refuellers are
also on the way to be positioned at Joshimath, Bageshwar, Dharasu and Pithoragarh. Backup
supplies for these refuellers have been arranged from Ambala and Panipat Terminals. District
Administration is providing assistance to reach the refuellers/backup
supplies to all destinations due to bad traffic/ road conditions.
LPG - Efforts are being made
to supply LPG to the distributors from Haridwar and Haldwani Bottling
plants in Uttarakhand. One
truck load has been dispatched on 17th and 18th June 2013 and 2 loads
dispatched on 19th June, 2013. 21
truck loads are in transit to the affected markets. Both the above bottling
plants are operating normally and all efforts are being made to dispatch loads
to the affected markets through open routes in coordination with State
Government. LPG cylinders have already started reaching Uttarkashi.
MS/HSD/
SKO- As road connectivity has
been restored till Joshimath and Uttarkashi from Rishikesh, supplies have been released from
respective Depots of IOC, HPC and BPC. Adequate
stocks are being maintained at all Retail/SKO Agencies and LPG Godowns.
Advance release of 60 kl of
Kerosene Oil against the quarterly allocation for flood/landslide relief in Uttarakhand has
been authorised by MOP&NG.
The situation is being
closely monitored and efforts being made to attain normalcy at the earliest.
MINISTRY OF CIVIL
AVIATION
The Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Ajit Singh
has expressed his deep anguish and sorrow at the huge loss of precious lives in
the flash floods in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. He has directed Air India
and Pawan Hans Helicopters to render all assistance to the Uttarakhand
government in the search and rescue operation going on in the flood affected
areas of the state. He has also directed Air India to operate additional
flights from Dehradun to bring stranded pilgrims and also offer concessional
fares to the affected people. Pawan Hans has already deployed three helicopters
in rescue operation. Shri Ajit Singh has further directed Pawan Hans to deploy additional
resources in the rescue operation and coordination with the state government.
*****
DNM/SC/SH/SK
(Release ID :96699)
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