U'khand Death Toll May Cross 10,000: Assembly Speaker

U'khand Death Toll May Cross 10,000: Assembly Speaker

KENNETH M MOHANTY | ALOK MISHRA | ALMORA | DEHRADUN | JUN 29, 2013 http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=802256 Two weeks after flashfloods and landslides ravaged Uttarakhand, there were conflicting figures of death toll with state Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal claiming today that it may cross 10,000 while the official figure is under 1,000. Rescue work in Badrinath area resumed during the day after some delay due to bad weather and 1,313 pilgrims including some villagers were evacuated-600 by helicopters and the remaining by road, Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar told reporters in Dehradun. He said about 500 people still remain to be evacuated. Efforts are also being made on a war-footing to ensure supply of essential relief material to over 600 villages in Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi districts, which are cut off after the floods. 2,379 metric tonnes of wheat and 2,875 metric tonnes of rice has so far been dispatched to these villages. The frequently changing weather is hampering work as the relief material can be supplied only by air, the officials said. In Almora, Kunjwal claimed that the death toll can cross 10,000. The official figure is 822. "Earlier when I returned from a tour of Garhwal region I believed the casualty figure could be 4000 to 5000. But now as per my information and bodies being seen by the people, I can say the figure can cross the 10,000 mark," Kunjwal told reporters. Though refusing to quantify casualties even 14 days after the tragedy, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has been saying it is feared over 1,000 people may have perished in the calamity. According to him, the exact number of people killed will be known only after the removal of debris left behind by the gushing waters and landslides. The Chief Secretary said a clearer picture will emerge in a couple of days as the figure of missing persons, said to be around 3,000, is being ascertained with several cases of duplication. Road network in Uttarakhand has been badly damaged in the floods, with 259 roads damaged in Tehri, 139 in Dehradun, 132 in Uttarkashi, 110 in Chamoli and 71 in Rudraparayag district. Over 200 families living along the banks of Bhagirathi river have been asked to move to safer places following a rise in water level. The MeT department, however, has sought to allay apprehensions, the water level rise is mainly due to melting of glaciers with the sun showing up, and that there is no flood threat. FILED ON: JUN 29, 2013 17:16 IST ALSO SEE Rescue Operations Resume, 200 Evacuated from Badrinath  JUN 29, 2013 ASI Team to Visit Flood-Ravaged Kedarnath Shrine  JUN 29, 2013 U'khand: TERI, Ganga Action Parivar to Make Green Report  JUN 28, 2013 Don't Force People to Walk Long Distances: SC to U'khand  JUN 28, 2013 Locals Struggle for Food, Shelter in Flood-Hit U'khand  JUN 28, 2013 Rescue Helicopter Makes Emergency Landing at Harsil  JUN 28, 2013 Rs 195 Crore Package for Renovation of 'Char Dham': Govt  JUN 28, 2013 Chopper Crash: Guard of Honour for 20 Bravehearts  JUN 28, 2013 U'khand: Harsil Evacuated, 1,400 Still Stranded in Badrinath  JUN 28, 2013 We Will Stay Till Last Person is Evacuated: Army Chief  JUN 28, 2013 All Stranded Pilgrims Evacuated From Harsil  JUN 27, 2013 U"khand: Trucks Flagged Off by UPA for Relief Out of Fuel  JUN 27, 2013 Kedrnath Temple Likely to Resume Pujas After Two Weeks  JUN 27, 2013 U'khand: Rescue Ops Almost Over, 3,000 Still Missing  JUN 27, 2013 'Centre Should Learn Lessons From U'khand Tragedy'  JUN 27, 2013 U'khand Govt Will Reconstruct Kedarnath Shrine: Bahuguna  JUN 26, 2013 27 Year Old IAF Personnel Killed in U'khand Chopper Crash  JUN 26, 2013 U'khand: Mass Cremation Begins, 3,500 Yet to be Rescued  JUN 26, 2013 Chopper Crash: PM Condoles Death of IAF Personnel  JUN 26, 2013 Army Launches Website on U'khand Relief Ops  JUN 26, 2013 FILED IN: NATURAL CALAMITIES | FLOODS | RAINS |UTTARAKHAND Follow us on Twitter for all updates, like us on Facebook for important and fun stuff