56-year-old flood victim and Dehradun local Manohar Lal Mauriya, who has been rescued and admitted to the Doon Hospital here, said the exploitation of distraught travellers has saddened him.
"I had to pay Rs 40 for a small bowl of rice.There was no food available anywhere," Mauriya, who saw his taxi being washed by the swirling flood waters, said.
Amit Gupta of Baghpat UP, who spoke to his relatives stranded in Gaumukh, said they had to pay Rs 400 for two small packets of chips and two bottles of water.
A stranded Sikh tourist complained that some locals were exploiting their helplessness.
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Another tourist waiting at the railway station said they are paying through the nose to buy food. "Shopkeepers are selling a paratha for Rs 250 and a water bottle for Rs 200. It is terrible".
72-year-old Shyam Sunder Sharma from Phagwara said there were no arrangements in the camp in Harshil for food and medicines.
Authorities are making efforts to rush food packets amid reports that hundreds of survivors did not get anything to eat for days.