New Delhi/Ghangara/Kedarnath, June 21 (ANI): Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on Friday confirmed that the flood death toll is currently 207 and was expected to rise should bodies buried under the debris be recovered.
Addressing media in New Delhi, Shinde said:" About 39,000 people have been evacuated till now and there are still around 43,000 to 49,000 people out there who have to be evacuated. I have received a report confirming the deaths of 207 people, but the people who were buried under the debris could be more. I will go there tomorrow for more information, and if the weather allows it, I will see the place also."
In Uttarakhand, thousands of houses have been swept away by flash floods and the authorities are using helicopters to evacuate people and drop essential food supplies.
Reportedly, tens of thousands of people have been stranded and isolated in various parts of the state due to the floods.
The vice-chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Sahidhar Reddy, said the recent meeting between top politicians from various parties and posts was conducted to reach a unanimous decision on strategies to rescue the stranded people.
"We have discussed about the ongoing rescue operations and deliberated on strategies to recue people trapped in hard to reach areas," said Reddy.
He explained that in the meeting all concerned politicians had thrashed out their differences and settled on the way forward, which was of grave importance.
The government has set up 32 camps to provide food and water for about 5,000 pilgrims and tourists caught by the floods while visiting local holy sites like Uttarkashi, Yamunotri and Kedarnath.
Vital communication links such as highways and bridges have been breached and washed away by the incessant rains.
In Dehradun, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said: "The Prime Minister and Miss Sonia Gandhi have conducted an aerial survey of the site. The Central Government and the state government are making genuine efforts. Irrespective of any political faction, we should work together and provide help and assistance. I would like to appeal to the media to guide people in such a way that they do not lose faith. No one really knows the actual situation there."
Rains, which were 48 percent above normal across India up until June 16, are expected to ease up in the next week, according to weather department officials.
The low-lying areas have been battered by torrential downpours, as several highways have been blocked.
The inclement weather coupled with inaccessibility has made relief and rescue operations next to impossible.
Floods due to pre-monsoon rains that arrived a week ahead of schedule have swollen India's longest river Ganges, causing major devastation.
The rainfall has been heavier than normal, but the weather office is sticking to its forecast for average rains during the entire four-month period.
The rains usually cover all of India by mid-July, but this year it happened on June 16, the earliest such occurrence on record, a senior official at the India Meteorological Department said.
India is one of the world's biggest producers and consumers of grains and about 55 percent of its farmland relies on the monsoon for water. Heavy rain early in the June-September monsoon season makes planting easier, but if flooding persists, stagnant water can delay sowing or damage early rice shoots.Kin of pilgrims still stranded in the disaster hit Uttarakhand irked over the mismanaged rescue operations conducted for the flood victims.
Meanwhile, relatives and friends of the flood victims exchanged some heated arguments with Uttarakhand's Minister for Disaster Management Yashpal Arya seeking information about their loved ones.
In Joshimath, local residents and an independent legislator Rajendra Singh Bhandari sought explanations from Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, about the mismanaged rescue operations and poor arrangements made for the flood victims.
Satish Kumar Sharma, kin of a stranded family,said: "Whosoever is missing, god will help in finding them, but here, the police department and the government can play a sympathetic role in this situation. They can publish the list of people who are reaching Guptkashi, Bata or people admitted in hospitals. If you tell it like thousands of people are stuck in Bata and Kashi, their families here will obviously be worried."
Arya said that a lot of people were still missing but the government is making every possible effort to reach out to the trapped pilgrims in the devastated temple town.
"You can see the situation, people are upset and angry, and their anger is understandable. Number of people still missing can be counted to thousands. Gaurikund, Rambara and in several areas of Kedarnath, people are missing," said he.
The states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have witnessed torrential rains at least thrice as heavy as usual since last week when the annual monsoon broke a fortnight ahead of schedule.
Early monsoon rains have swollen the River Ganga, India's longest river and also its mega tributary, River Yamuna causing death and destruction along their banks in the Himalayan region.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a Rs.1000 crore aid package for the state after he and Congress president Sonia Gandhi undertook an aerial survey of the flood-hit region.
This year's monsoon has drenched the country in record time, almost a month ahead of schedule. Heavy rains in north India have swollen the Ganges, India's longest river, and floods have swept away houses, killing over 80 people and leaving tens of thousands stranded.
For India's farmland, however, above average early rains help moisten the soil, enabling better preparation for seeds and early planting. The June to September monsoon is crucial for the 55 percent of India's farmland without irrigation. (ANI)
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