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Three months ago, flash floods wreaked havoc in the Kedarnath valley and other parts of Uttarakhand, killing hundreds and rendering thousands homeless.
The natural disaster, apparently caused by cloudbursts and bursting of Chorabari lake in the higher reaches on June 16-17, virtually crippled the state’s economy, resulting in thousands of job losses.
However, the government did not set up any inquiry to ascertain the exact cause of the flashfloods which could have also fixed responsibility on the lapses, as being alleged by the opposition parties. “We will not conduct any inquiry but we will hold a big seminar in New Delhi on the disaster in Uttarakhand,” said Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.
The opposition BJP has already declared it would continue to attack the government till it comes out with a white paper on the natural disasters that have forced thousands of people to live in severe cold conditions in the hilly areas.
Take the case of Simi village in Rudraprayag, which was badly hit by the flash floods. As the village started sinking, the administration shifted the villagers to nearby makeshift tents. Within 1-2 months, the boulders and landslides brought down these tents forcing them to live in open now.
“Where will these people go now? The government is giving only Rs 2,000 for rent. But geographical conditions are such in Simi that villagers even can’t get a house on rent,” said Ajay Bhatt, leader of the opposition. Bhatt said the BJP will gherao the Vidhan Sabha on September 19 on the issue.
On the other hand, the government has identified nearly 300 odd villages which have been declared unsafe. A Rs 8,000 crore rehabilitation plan for these villages has already been submitted to the Centre. The chief minister has claimed that the prime minister has given positive assurance in this regard. But the winter is going to be harsh for those persons who are either living in tents or in the open in the hilly areas.
The specter of widespread migration is also looming amid reports that a large number of people are looking for jobs in Dehradun and even outside the state. “The worst part of this disaster will be to control migration from the hills. The government must now take proactive steps,” said Anil Joshi, a social activist.
On September 11, the government resumed puja in Kedarnath temple sending a message that situation was limping back to normal in the hill state. But top officials admitted that entire Kedarnath Valley is still in bad shape. “Though the puja has resumed but the trek to the shrine has not been built due to which people are unable to visit the shrine,” said a top government official.
Even the process of removing debris around the shrine has not started as machines have not reached there. “Soon, the machines will be airlifted to clean the debris from Kedarnath area,” said Rakesh Sharma additional chief secretary.
Officially, the government is claiming that 694 bodies had been recovered till now. These include 185 bodies which were recovered in the first week of September in a special operation launched in Kedarnath valley.
“Till now only 694 bodies have been recovered,” said R S Meena, Inspector General (IG) who is overseeing the operation to recover bodies. Besides, 4120 people are missing which also includes 92 foreign nationals. Uttar Pradesh accounts for highest number of missing persons -- 1150.
Even industrialization process has suffered. “In this disaster and market conditions, the industry is not showing any interest in Uttarakhand these days,” said a top official of the department of industry. Power sector has also been hit badly due to which the government is unable to take a decision on the allotment of new projects.
