| 7. 55 am: Stretch between Kedarnath-Guptkashi has been cleared Rescue operations in the crucial Kedarnath-Guptkashi valley have been completed but around 7000 pilgrims are still stuck in Badrinath and the Uttarakhand government says around 3,000 pilgrims are stuck in Ghangaria. So far, 33,000 have been rescued but at least 50,000 are still stranded across Uttarakhand.  An Indian Air Force chopper air-lifts stranded pilgrims at Guptakashi near flood-hit Kedarnath in Uttrakhand. PTI 7. 20 am: Chhattisgarh BJP MPs, MLAs to help flood-hit Uttarakhand BJP's MPs, MLAs and other elected representatives in Chhattisgarh have decided to contribute one month's salary to help flood-ravaged Uttarakhand. "BJP MPs, MLAs, mayors, corporators and other elected representatives will contribute one month's salary to Uttarakhand government to help relief efforts in the flood-hit region," BJP spokesperson Shivratan Sharma said in Raipur today. 7. 05 am: Uttar Pradesh sends medical team to Uttarakhand Assuring all possible help to the Uttarakhand government, Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav today directed officials to rush a team of doctors for extending medical aid to the people in the rain-ravaged state. A team of 14 doctors of Ram Manohar Lohia Medical Institute, Lucknow would be send to Uttarakhand on Friday, an official spokesman said. On the chief minister's directives, a helpline has been set up in the office of the relief commissioner here for the benefit of the stranded people, the spokesman said. (PTI) Updates for 20 June end 10.39 pm: Find your relatives, friends through Goolgle's Person Finder Search engine giant Google has launched an application "Person Finder" to offer information on missing people in flood-affected areas in the country, including Uttarakhand. Google Person Finder is a web application that allows individuals to post and search for the status of relatives or friends affected by a disaster, Google said in a blogpost. "Since last week, the state of Uttarakhand in India has been grappling with severe floods. Given that most of these areas in the state are highly inaccessible with intermittent communication, Google Crisis team bring you the Person Finder," the blog post by Jayanth Mysore, Google APAC Senior Product Manager, said. Here is the link to it: http://google.org/personfinder/2013-uttrakhand-floods/ 10.10 pm: Sonia Gandhi monitoring biggest rescue operation in recent history Congress president Sonia Gandhi is monitoring the rescue and relief operations in flood-hit Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, a party statement said Thursday. According to the statement, one of the biggest rescue operations in recent history has been mounted by the central and state governments, in which nearly 12,000 people have been rescued, and provided food, shelter and accommodation. Nearly 5,000 people are still stranded, and every effort is being made to trace and rescue them. "The entire operation is being monitored by the Congress president for the last two days," the statement issued by Congress general secretary Ajay Maken said. "She has instructed the two chief ministers and party units to help in the rescue operations. State party units have been asked to collect relief material and send it to the affected areas. The Youth Congress has sent rescue material. Party workers at the national level and in states are being told to help in the rescue operation," the statement said. Sonia Gandhi will be visiting relief camps and other affected areas soon, the statement added. 9.09 pm: 300 airlifted from Himachal by IAF Over 300 persons were airlifted toady by the IAF and state choppers from various places in Himachal Pradesh's rain ravaged Kinnaur tribal district cut off by road due to landslides. Over 550 persons have been airlifted during past three days and 400 people, who are still stranded, remain to be evacuated, Deputy Commissioner Kinnaur, Capt J M Pathania said. Thirteen sorties were conducted for evacuating 301 persons from Sangla, Reckong Peo, Pooh, Nako and Gyabong, who were brought to Rampur, he said, adding efforts were afoot to airlift the remaining 400 persons. Pathania said teams comprising of officers of Revenue, Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry and other departments had been constituted at sub divisional level to assess the loss caused due to natural disaster. Four teams each in Pooh Division and Kalpa and Nichar had been constituted and they had been asked to submit the report within two weeks to provide all possible assistance to the affected people, he said. National Disaster Response Force had been sent to Ropa Kanda area for carrying out rescue and rehabilitation of about 12 shepherds along with their herd, Pathania said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who reviewed the situation at a meeting in Mandi, said heavy damages were reported in various parts of the state due to incessant rains, landslides and snow, particularly in Kinnaur, which suffered The state experienced 155 per cent excess rainfalls and normal life was badly disrupted in Kinnaur and Sirmaur districts which received 1,229 percent and 798 percent excess rainfall, respectively. Fourteen persons were reported dead in the state due to natural disaster, out of which 10 died in Kinnaur district, two each in Shimla and Sirmour districts. Over 300 houses had been damaged and loss of over 130 cattle heads were reported as per preliminary reports. 9.01 pm: Cabinet secy asks BSNL to restore mobile phone lines Cabinet Secretary Ajit Kumar Seth today held a review meeting with top central and Uttarakhand government officials and issued directions to speed up rescue operations in the flood-ravaged state. Seth also instructed BSNL to repair mobilephone towers in the state and restore telephony in the next few days. A statement issued after the meeting said that coordinated efforts are being made to provide succour to the stranded pilgrims, tourists and locals by multiple agencies like Defence, ITBP, BRO, NDRF and state government "The government of India is supplementing the efforts of the state government for requirement of food, medicines and fuel, wherever required. "39 helicopters from the Air Force and Army airlifted about 2,000 people despite cloudy weather. The airlifting operations will resume early tomorrow morning," the statement said. "BSNL has been directed to immediately repair the telephone towers to restore communication in the next 2-3 days. About 8,000 tonnes of foodgrains are available with the state Government. Arrangements to ensure fuel availability have also been made," it said. 8.51 pm: Rescue efforts race against time over impending bad weather The Indian army, Air force, NDRF and ITBP are carrying out rescue efforts in full swing as the MeT department has predicted that the weather may turn bad within 36 to 48 hours. The debris and rubble around Kedarnath town has made it difficult for choppers to land, and space is being created for a helicopter to land, reported Times Now. While some have been evacuated, others still in stranded may have to spend the night where they are before rescue workers are able to reach them. 8.15 pm: Rajnath Singh wants flood to be declared as natural calamity BJP president Rajnath Singh, who undertook an aerial survey of the flashflood hit districts of Uttarakhand, today demanded the huge tragedy be declared a national calamity. "The tragedy is of unprecedented scale in which the number of lives lost must run into thousands so it should be declared a national calamity," the BJP chief told reporters at the Jollygrant airport here on his return from the aerial tour of the affected areas. Describing the rescue efforts in affected areas as inadequate considering the magnitude of the calamity, Singh said the number of helicopters engaged in the operations should be increased and National Disaster Response Force deployments strengthened to evacuate people stranded in high altitude areas. Claiming that the number of calamity victims must run into thousands, he said a proper estimate of the losses must be prepared and made public. Former Bihar Minister and BJP legislator Ashwini Chaubey, who also accompanied Singh, said he was stranded in Kedarnath for three days and his cries for help fell on deaf ears. Terming the claims being made by the state government on the rescue measures being adopted as devoid of substance, Chaubey said two of his relatives were killed in the calamity and five of his kin are still missing. 8.04 pm: PM appeals for donations to support victims As the magnitude of tragedy caused in Uttarakhand continues to unfold, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today issued an appeal to the public for generous donations to support the victims who have suffered "extensive devastation". In his appeal, Singh said the central government is extending all cooperation and assistance to the state government in rescue and relief operations. He said "extensive devastation" has been caused due to cloudbursts and floods in the state and a large number of people have died and property worth crores of rupees has been damaged. "At this moment, affected people need our help to tide over the calamity that has fallen upon them, to survive and to rebuild their lives. I request all citizens of India to stand with our distressed fellow countrymen, and actively participate in the national effort to support them at this difficult time," the Prime Minister said. "I appeal to all citizens to donate generously to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund," he said. The appeal comes against the backdrop of the Prime Minister's announcement of Rs 1000 for rescue and relief operations in the state. 7.46 pm: Dehradun District Magistrate praises Indian Air force for relief work Dehradun District Magistrate BB Purushottam said that the Indian Air force has done a wonderful job in rescuing stranded people from flood hit areas of Uttarakhand. " The Indian Air force has done a wonderful job. Five more MI 17 helicopters have been deployed. We are coming up with a temporary helipad in temp helipad Gaudigaon. There is one place two kilometres where choppers are unable to reach because of a 70 degree angle," he told Times Now. "More than 2,000 people are stranded between Uttarkashi and Guptkashi. We hope to airlift them in the next two-three days. The air force will set up a detachment by tomorrow allowing us to save more lives," he said. 6.51 pm: Jairam Ramesh announces Rs 340 cr for Uttarakhand Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh today announced a separate Rs 340 crore special package for Uttarakhand for constructing village roads in the flood-ravaged hill state. In view of the calamity, the Rural Development Ministry is also working for giving special assistance to Uttarakhand for constructing village houses under its ambitious Indira Awas Yojana (IAY). The minister's decision came a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a Rs 1,000 crore special flood relief package to the state. "Ministry of Rural Development is working on special road and housing package for Uttarkhand in view of calamity. Next week we are going to consider 82 roads and 27 bridges — total 664 kms — at a total cost of about Rs 340 crores. This we will sanction next week," Ramesh said. This programme will be implemented in 18 months, he said. In February this year, the ministry had already sanctioned 118 roads and 8 bridges — 1,140 kms in all — at a total cost of Rs 472 crore for Uttarakhand. "Over and above this, special package for roads will be sanctioned next week," he said. The normal allocation for Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) in 2013-14 was about 14,000 houses for poor families at the rate of Rs 75,000. This will cost around Rs 105 crore. "But they are entitled to special assistance because of this unprecedented natural calamity. The state government will make a damage assessment on how many families have lost their houses, then they will come back, we will examine their demands," Ramesh said indicating that the ministry was ready to sanction another Rs 100 crore for a rural housing programme in the state. 6.47 pm: Temple officials say no Kedarnath, Badrinath yatra for 3 yrs Pilgrimage to the shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath in Uttarakhand will not be able to resume for three years due to the extensive damage caused by heavy rains and floods in the last few days. According to officials of the two shrines, the two pilgrimage towns have been so badly devastated that there was nothing "but mud, devastation and death" around the highly revered temples visited by millions. The chances of reviving the pilgrimage "for the next few years" was grim, chief executive Officer of the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee BD Singh told IANS. "What we are seeing is very painful and unbelievable. We don't expect the Char Dham Yatra to resume in the next three years," he said. 6. 20 pm: Stand with distressed fellow countrymen, PM tells India Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday issued an appeal requesting Indian citizens to stand united with those who are stranded in the flooded areas of Uttarakhand. "I request all citizens of India to stand with our distressed fellow countrymen," Singh said in his statement. 5. 26 pm: Kedarnath temple was full of dead bodies, says BJP leader Former BJP minister Ashwini Chaubey recalled the horror of spending four nights inside the Kedarnath temple by saying that he was surrounded by dead bodies and he saw people dying in front of his eyes. " I was stuck in Kedarnath for four nights. Five members of my family are missing. I have spent nights on dead bodies. More than 800 people were there inside the temple with me. M any died in front of my eyes inside the temple," he said. He blamed the state government for the situation and said, "Dead bodies were floating inside the temple. There is no help from state government. I have never seen such calamity in my life. More than 15000 to 20000 people have died," Chaubey said. 4.59 pm: Govt will deploy more helicopters in U'Khand, says Shinde Government has decided to deploy more helicopters in Uttarakhand to rescue over 60,000 people still trapped in the rain-ravaged hill state and expedite relief operations. Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said so far 22 helicopters have been used to evacuate stranded people to safer locations and through hundreds of sorties they rescued 22,392 people. "But 22 helicopters are not enough. So, we have requested the Defence Ministry to deploy more helicopters to expedite the rescue operations in Uttarakhand. The Defence Ministry agreed to our request and hopefully the additional choppers will be deployed soon," he told reporters here. 4. 48 pm: Naveen Patnaik too sends in Rs 5 cr for victims Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik too sent in Rs 5 crore as assitance for the flood affected Uttarakhand. 4. 41 pm: Nitish Kumar contributes Rs 5 cr for flood victims Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today contributed Rs five crore for relief work among the victims of the Uttarakhand flash flood. A state government officer has gone to Dehradun with the cheque of Rs five crore on the instruction of the chief minister, Anjani Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to the CM, said. Kumar has made this contribution from the Chief Minister Relief fund, he said adding the chief minister has expressed his deep condolence for the victims of the natural calamity in the mountain state. Hundreds of people from Bihar are among those trapped in the flash flood in Uttarakhand. BJP leader Ashwani Kumar Choubey is among them. 4.32 pm: Chhattisgarh sends chopper to bolster rescue efforts In a bid to bolster the rescue effort in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh's BJP government Thursday said it would send a 12-seater hired helicopter to Dehradun to rescue people stranded there by floods and landslips. "The chopper will begin an intensive rescue drive in the flood- and landslide-hit Uttarakhand from 7.30 am onwards Friday," a top state government official said, adding that "the decision to deploy the chopper in Uttarakhand was taken on the special initiative of Chief Minister Raman Singh." Reports say many people from Chhattisgarh travelling in Uttarakhand as pilgrims were either dead or missing since last weekend, when the Himalayan state was hit by an unprecedented flash-flood that set off landslides. The Chhattisgarh government has also announced assistance of Rs.5 crore to Uttarakhand. 4.18 pm: DG ITBP says all efforts being taken to rescue stranded people DG ITBP Ajay Chaddha said that the force is making all efforts to rescue stranded people. "About 1,000 ITBP personnel have been deployed. All people in and around Kedarnath have been evacuated. Our first priority is women and children," he said. Chaddha said that connectivity is the biggest challenge that the ITBP is facing in the rescue operations. 4:05 pm: Rajnath Singh says Uttarakhand floods are a national calamity After a aerial survey of the flood ravaged areas of Uttarakhand, BJP party chief Rajnath Singh said more relief measures were needed. "The Uttarakhand situation should be declared a national disaster.The number of helicopters should be increased," the BJP President said. The BJP president said that they were not indulging in a blame game. "This situation is not for blame game,we are willing to help the Uttarakhand government in anyway possible," Singh said. 3. 43 pm: State government declares 3-day state mourning The Uttarakhand government today declared a three-day state mourning in view of the calamity triggered by incessant rains in the state. "Massive damages have been caused to life and property by the flash floods and landslides brought by torrential rains in their wake.A three-day state mourning from June 20-22 has been declared in view of the tragedy," Secretary, Administration, S S Negi said. The tricolour will fly at half-mast on government buildings and institutions during the period. No inaugural or ceremonial functions will be held across the state during the period, he said. (PTI) 3. 38 pm: List of roads that have been opened for vehicular traffic The Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre today reopened many roads blocked by landslides including Joshimath-Karnaprayag, Rishikesh-Uttarakshi, Dharasu-Chamba,Gochar,Rudraparayag-Shrinagar-Rishikesh, Pauri-Kotdwar, Guptkashi-Mayali-Tibtiya-Tehri, Uttarkashi-Chinyalisaur, Karnaparayag-Ranikhet-Kathgodam, Dharasu-Badkot- Damra-Dehradun. Other roads which have been reopened are Mayali-Tiwara-Rudraprayag, Chainyalisaur-Subakholi -Mussoorie, Ghansali-Tipri-Devprayag, Ghansali- Tipri- New Tehri, Tehri-Chamba-Mussorie, Chamba-Rishikesh and Tuni-Chakrata-Sahiya-Kalsi-Dehradun. (PTI) 3. 25 pm: Priority is relief and rescue, says Centre Amid reports of rapid urbanisation leading to flash floods in Uttarakhand, Central government on Friday said its priority was to focus on relief and rescue operations in the rain-ravaged hill state and "post-mortem can be done later". "It is not necessary to get into that. The post-mortem can be done later," I&B Minister Manish Tewari told reporters. He was responding to a volley of questions on whether unregulated development in the hills or faulty weather forecasts were responsible for the magnitude of the devastation due to heavy rainfall in Uttarakhand. Tewari said the Centre has given top priority to relief and rescue operations and has been coordinating with the state government in this regard. He also asked political parties, "who are quick with advice," to try and mobilise their cadre and contribute towards relief efforts in the affected state. (PTI) 3. 10 pm: Taking measures to bring stranded TN tourists home, says Jaya About 400 tourists from Tamil Nadu are stranded in rain-ravaged Uttarakhand and government would take all steps on "war-footing basis" to bring them back, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa said today. However, she said the people from Tamil Nadu were 'safe'. After chairing a review meeting at the Secretariat, the chief minister said in a statement that a high level committee, headed by the Government of Tamil Nadu special representative at New Delhi, has been formed that would leave for Dehradun to bring the pilgrims back to Tamil Nadu. 2:20 pm: Supreme Court directs Centre and Uttarakhand govt to ensure rescue of those affected by floods The Supreme Court has also got involved in the rescue of people stranded due to the flooding in Uttarakhand and has directed the Centre and Uttarakhand state government to make an "all-out effort" to rescue them. The centre and state government have been directed to provide adequate helicopters for the rescue work. The apex court also directed the Centre and state government to file a report on the relief and rehabilitation work in the state by June 25. However, it's still not clear in what context the Supreme Court issued these directions. 2:10 pm: Madhya Pradesh sends team of doctors to Uttarakhand A seven-member special team from Madhya Pradesh today reached Dehradun to coordinate with Uttarakhand officials for relief and rescue operations. The decision to dispatch the special team, led by public relations minister Laxmikant Sharma, was taken by state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan yesterday after visiting Haridwar and having a word with his Uttarakhand counterpart Vijay Bahuguna, official sources said. The team comprising officials and doctors will set up a control room for people from MP at Haridwar and extend all possible assistance to them for retuning home. After reviewing updated information from Uttarakhand at the emergency meeting called by Chouhan, the government decided to send the special team. (PTI) 2:00 pm: 1800 out of 2100 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh missing IBN7 reports that the Andhra Pradesh state has declared that there are 1800 pilgrims from the state who are still missing. 1. 15 pm: Uttarakhand CM heckled by protesters Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna was reportedly heckled by protesters in Joshimath, were he had gone to visit the rescued pilgrims. The protesters shouted slogans against him and claimed they got no assistance from the government. 1. 10 pm: Rescue operations on in Himachal The sorties started at 6.30 am in the morning and people stranded at various places for past five days are being dropped at Rampur, official sources said. The sorties to Sangla, Rekong Peo, Nako, Pooh and other cut off places would continue till the evening and a large number of people are expected to be evacuated by the evening. 12. 50 pm: Army to setup temporary helipads in Uttarakhand An Army official has said that they will deploy a force of 100 paratroopers on the Gaurikund Somprayag road to assist rescue operations. The Army also plans to set-up temporary helipads in Uttarakhand to facilitate rescue operations in the area. 12. 40 pm: All necessary help will be provided, says Manish Tewari Minister for Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari said that the government is cognizant to the situation prevalent in Uttarakhand as well as other parts of the country and the central government will be there to provide all help needed. He further said that required man power and material has been provided to try and alleviate the situation as early as possible. Tiwari was speaking after a Cabinet meeting today. 11. 45 am: Kedarnath road completely destroyed IBN7′s Punit Tripathi sends in this report from Rudraprayag: The Alaknanda river has caused a lot of damage in the Rudraprayag area. Bridges and whole villages have been washed away. The road to Kedarnath has been destroyed. Even if repair work starts on the road, it will take months to fix. This entire route is extremely dangerous. Helpline numbers: Tehri Helpline no: 01376 233433 Chamoli helpline no: 01372 251437 Uttarkashi helpline no: 01374 226161 Army helpline no: 1800-180-5558 / 1800 -4190282
Director General of ITBP Ajay Chaddha said that there are currently ten private choppers and around 7-8 IAF choppers pressed into service. As of now, they are enough as weather and landing conditions are limited. He also said that there was no lack of manpower for now and all rescue teams are working together, but operations will take time as only a maximum of five people can travel during a sortie. 10:10 am: Weather clears, IAF begins sorties IBN7′s Smita Sharma reports that the weather is clearing up in Uttarakhand and relief air operations have commenced again on upper the reaches to rescue stranded people. 9. 50 am: IAF choppers to make rescue attempts again Air Commodore Rajesh Issar has said that rescue operations will resume as soon as the weather conditions at Jolly Grant airport improve. There are also 10 choppers on standby at Sarsawa. At 6, 45am, rescue attempts were made, five aircraft were airborne but they had to return due to bad weather. The choppers are making attempts again and hopefully the IAF should be able to push out ten craft in the first go. Issar also said that the three main affected valleys are Haasil, Kedarnath (worst affected) and Badrinath (not grim). The main focus for rescue operations is Kedarnath valley, where according to estimates, thousands of people are stranded. Issar also thanked the district administration for providing all necessary supplies. In the last 24 hours, more than 500 people have been evacuated and another 500 could be evacuated today. 9. 37 am: Kedarnath area is worst affected, says IAF Harsil sector, which includes Kedarnath, Badrinath are the worst affected areas. Kedarnath has been cleared, but people from upper areas are reaching there. Another 500 people are expected to be rescued today. By tomorrow, all critical evacuation from Kedarnath will be completed, an IAF official said. 9. 35 am: Uttarakhand CM headed to Switzerland? Despite the fact that rescue operations continue to be hampered by bad weather and thousands remain stranded, is Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna heading to Switzerland next week? According to a report in the Indian Express, the Chief Minister has a trip that was planned before the flash floods in the state in which he was to visit the European nation in the company of his wife and some state officials. Given that its an an official trip, Bahuguna's office had sought clearance from the Ministry of External Affairs. After the floods ravaged the state, the Ministry had expected Bahuguna's office to inform them that he would cancel the trip, but as of Wednesday they had not received any word to that effect. Therefore the Ministry has gone ahead and cleared the trip. So was this just a case of his office forgetting to inform the Ministry of External Affairs, or does Bahaguna really think that the situation is so under control that he can fly out? Or subsequently does he think that he has nothing to contribute by staying in his flood ravaged state? 9. 30 am: Road to Uttarkashi re-opens, thousands on their way out In great news for those stranded in Uttarkashi, the road leading to Uttarkashi, which was blocked due to incessant rains and floods, has been re-opened and thousand of stranded pilgrims are on their way out.
Uttarakhand Tourism Minister, who was travelling by a chopper to over see rescue operations, had to return back to Dehradun following bad weather. Rescue operations by IAF have also been suspended following bad weather in the area. 9. 15 am: 100 Paratroupers at Gaurikund the Army has sent a hundred paratroupers to Gaurikund to help rescue stranded pilgrims. Medical help is also being provided to those rescued. The Army has issued a helpline number for stranded passengers in Uttarakhand: 18004190282 9. oo am: IAF operations suspended following bad weather IAF rescue operations from Jolly Grant in Dehradun have been suspended for now following bad weather in Uttarakhand. There were light showers reported early this morning. There have been no sorties since this morning. Meanwhile, in an embarrassment to operation Rahat, IAF choppers sent in for rescue operations ran out of fuel and were stranded in Dehradun. First person accounts of relatives looking for family members Another relative Nikhil Patel has travelled to Dehradun from Surat, Gujarat in search of his family members. Eight of his relatives are stuck near Gaurikund while travelling towards Kedarnath – where he says there is an island like situation. He says they were stuck five days ago and they have received no help or food packets as yet. Dhruv Dubey, a tour operator of Gayatri Tourism from Sidpur, Gujarat has said he and others travelling with him have managed to trek down from Kedarnath and have reached a little ahead of Rambara. Initially, he was travelling with 150 people, of which 60 who are with him now are safe. Most of them are from Patan, Mehsana and Banaskantha. Parsumran Shastri is also safe and is now close to Berkot, and Brijesh Acharya, who is close to Badrinath.  A combination picture of the Patels, who travelled from Surat, Gujarat.
08. 10 am: IAF choppers out of fuel In a major embarrassment to Operation Rahat, the IAF choppers deployed to airlift passengers have run out of fuel. The choppers were to assist tourists in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 08. 00 am: Water level of Yamuna recedes  Army doctors at Dehradun airport. Image: Smita Sharma The water level of Yamuna river has receded marginally overnight from 207.30 to 207.26, bringing in some relief for those living along the river bed in Delhi. 07. 45 am: Army medical batch at Dehradun A batch of 100 Special Army medical personnel have reached Dehradun airport. They will be move to Rudraprayag and forward areas to assist in rescue operations. 07 . 30 am: Kailash Mansarovar Yatra cancelled The government has cancelled the Kailash Manasarove Yatra after authorities declared roads unsafe for use. Updates for 19 June end 10.00 pm: Death toll reaches 150, likely to rise The terrible magnitude of nature's fury in Uttarakhand unfolded today as the death toll rose to 150 with fears that it may go up substantially as large parts the area remained under water while hundreds of houses and buildings lay in ruins. Skies cleared today enabling stepping up of rescue and relief operations but the efforts were hampered by the vast destruction of the roads caused by landslides and flash floods that damaged hundreds of houses, buildings, hotels and government guest houses. Several thousand pilgrims from across the country are still stranded in the state as reports came that the Kedarnath temple, one of the four holy dhams, was intact but the temple complex and the Rambada area around it have suffered total destruction. 6.01 pm: PM announces Rs 1000 cr relief fund for Uttarakhand Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after an aerial survey of the Kedarnath area in Uttarakhand along with Sonia Gandhi said that they saw was distressing and rescuing the stranded was of the utmost priority. He also announced a relief of Rs 1,000 crore for the state of Uttarakhand. "Our hearts go out to persons who have lost members of their family and property. Priority for authorities is to rescue the stranded and provide aid to those who need it," said Manmohan Singh. He said that ex-gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh each will be provided to the kin of those who have died and Rs 50,000 each to those who have been injured. He said the Prime Minister's relief fund will also give Rs 1 lakh to people whose house have perished completely and Rs 50,000 to the people whose houses have been damaged. Singh said, "The Centre and states will work in close co-ordination to not only rescue affected persons but also help them rebuild their lives." 5.15 pm: Burning issue is to rescue my people, says Vijay Bahuguna Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Wednesday told the press that the burning issue is to rescue his people.  An aerial view of Kedarnath submerged in flood waters. AP Pointing out to environmentalists that it was the dams that prevented large areas from being washed away he said, "The burning issue today is how do I rescue people, how do I rehabilitate them, how do I compensate them." Bahuguna also said that though the Kedarnath temple is safe the city is in debris. 4.52 pm: PM to meet Uttarakhand CM Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who conducted an aerial survey of flood stricken Uttarakhand along with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, will meet Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna in an hour to review rescue and relief operations in the flood affected areas of the state. The premier reached Dehradun at around 3 pm to conduct a tour of flood stricken areas. 4.40 pm: Our first priority is to save all lives, says RPN Singh MoS Home RPN Singh on Wednesday said that the first priority of the government is to save all the lives that are in danger due to the floods in Uttarakhand, especially in an around Kedarnath. In a retort to Sushma Swaraj's statement that thousands are stuck without help in the area, he said, "I don't want to politicise the flood situation. The Centre will help the state govt in whatever way possible." He said, "Army, paramilitary forces doing exemplary rescue work. We will do whatever it takes to get people out of difficult situations." He also said there is no point discussing what could have been done and all political parties should work towards it. "State govts have told us there is no shortage of food. We are airdropping food packets," he said and added, "Many have been rescued from in and around Kedarnath, some have been airlifted. Various agencies are evacuating pilgrims." First person account of Vikas Bajaj who's looking for news of his family  Vikas Bajaj, who is looking for any news about his family. Image: Smita Sharma/IBN7 Among the many stranded in the flood-hit areas of Uttarakhand is a family of 17 from Akola district, Maharashtra. Vikas Bajaj, is desperately looking out for his family members, including elder brother Manoj Bajaj and his wife. The last communication Vikas had with his family was on 17 June at around 1 pm. They were returning from Kedarnath and had reached Rambara, when it started raining. Since then he has had no contact with them. Trekked back 25 kms, family in a state of trauma  The Pandeys who have made it back to Dehradun safely. Image: Smita Sharma/IBN7 Another family from Bhagalpur – the Pandeys – have safely made it back from Kedarnath. The family of four had stared their journey back early 15 June. The Pandeys have reached Dehradun after trekking back 25 kms. The family is still in a state of trauma. 3. 00 pm: PM, Sonia reach Dehradun for aerial survey Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi have reached Dehradun for an aerial survey of the flood-affected areas of Uttarakhand. 3. 15 pm: No rain in Uttarakhand for next two days In what comes as a great sigh of relief, the Meteorological Department today announced that there will be no rain in Uttarakhand for the next two days. This comes in as a positive sign for rescue operations that are being carried out 24X7 by Army, IAF, NDRF and ITBP officials. 2. 55 pm: Authorities apprehensive of media coverage Meanwhile, authorities in flood-hit areas seem apprehensive of allowing sorties for media personnel to Kedarnath. Officials are apprehensive that the media may exaggerate flood conditions in their reports. Though, on the contrary, there is no media presence yet on the ground in Gaurikund, Kedarnath sector leading to further misinformation and panic. IBN7 Associate Editor Smita Sharma reports that while the IAF is willing to take journalists up to the higher reaches, it is the DM Purushottam and DG Information Vinod Sharma who are passing the buck. 2. 45 pm: MP govt announces 5 crore relief fund for Uttarakhand Madhya Pradesh Government has announced a Rs 5 crore relief fund for Uttarakhand. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan came to Dehradun, took stock of tourists from MP stuck here, and left, IBN7 Associate Editor Smita Sharma reports. 2. 30 pm: Mi 17 choppers may be used to drop medical, water supplies in flood-hit areas IBN7 Associate Editor Smita Sharma, who is in Uttarakhand told Firstpost that most relief choppers are taking off from Jolly Grant Dehradun and Sarsawa airport near Saharanpur is on standby. IAF sources have also said that Lighter ALH Helicopters could be used to take it to upper reaches, narrower valley areas. IAF Mi 17s may also be used to take medical and water supplies to Gauchar (ITBP) post and Dharasu in Uttarkashi. At some places where immediate evacuation is not possible because of landing problems, NDRF personnel are being dropped to provide interim relief till weather and road conditions improve. 1. 4o pm: 22 dead in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh NDTV reports that 22 people have been killed in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh due to incessant rains and flash floods. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this evening. 1. 35 pm: Maharashtra govt to give Rs 10 crore to Uttarakhand The Maharashtra government has decided to provide Rs 10 crore as relief fund to the Uttarakhand state government. Maharashtra will also send a special plane to bring back stranded pilgrims from Uttarakhand. Meanwhile, 18 choppers have been pressed into service and over 4 tonnes of relief material has been air dropped in Uttarakhand, IAF officials told CNN-IBN. 1. 15 pm: Temple staff missing, dharamshalas destroyed, says temple official Kedarnath-Badrinath committee president has told CNN-IBN that at least 20 of its staff members are missing in the floods. "The temple premises has not been destroyed.. 20 of our staff are missing." He further said that Dharamshalas around the temple have been destroyed by the floods. 12. 50 pm: Flood situation is a national disaster, says Rajnath BJP President Rajnath Singh said the flood situation in Uttarakhand is a national disaster. "Central and state governments must make all efforts to rescue people and provide immediate assistance," he said. Helpline numbers: Uttarkashi: 01374-226126, 226161 Chamoli: 01372-251437 Tehri: 01376-233433 Rudraprayag: 01732-1077 The ITBP has also established helpline and control room for information on Uttrakhand: 011-24362892 and 9968383478. 12. 15 pm: Air evacuation currently on, says IG, NDRF Sandeep Rathore, IG, NDRF said 390 people were rescued last night and air evacuation is currently being carried out. "Road conditions are bad but they are being repaired and we will be able to rescue more people today," he said. 11. 40 am: PM directs Food Minister to supply food to flood hit areas The Congress Core Group meeting today discussed the Uttarakhand flood situation. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has directed Food Minister KV Thomas to ensure that food supplies reach those affected. 11. 34 am: Aid being sent to flood affected areas: Shinde Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said rescue aid is being sent to the flood affected areas and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will tour the affected areas at 2 pm this afternoon. "There are 14 NDRF teams at work and over 4000 people have been rescued by the Army and 62, 000 are still stranded. Food packets and blankets have been sent, local doctors have been arranged at the areas… we are also setting up a Control center in Badrinath," Shinde said. 11. 23 am: Situation in Uttarakhand better today: Chidambaram Finance Minister P Chidambaram said that the flood situation in Uttarakhand was better today. "Today's Congress Core group meeting was confined only to flood situation in Uttarakhand, situation in Uttarakhand is better than yesterday," he said. 11. 15 am: 4,000 rescued from Govind Ghat, says ITBP "Have rescued 4,000 people from Govind Ghat are also providing shelter and food," said DG of ITBP Ajay Chadha, on rescue operations in Uttarakhand. 11. oo am: This is Himalayan Tsunami, need more manpower Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna admitted there was lack of manpower to conduct rescue operations and urged the Centre to send in adequate forces. "I would call this natural disaster the Himalayan Tsunami. We are deploying as many choppers as we can, but their use is limited by the size of the valley. Furthermore once we airlift people to a certain point it becomes a challenge to get them out of there as well, since all roads are blocked." 10. 30 am: 3,000 Sikh pigrims rescued from Hemkund Sahib In Badrinath, around 8,000 pilgrims are still stuck due to road blocks. Over 3,000 Sikh pilgrims have been rescued from Hemkund Sahib and are now taking shelter at the Army relief camp in Joshimath. Communication lines at Badrinath are down. Uttarakhand Helpline numbers: 0135-2710334, 2710335, 2710233 10. 00 am: Rescue operations at Kedarnath may end by afternoon Rescue operations at Kedarnath may be completed by this afternoon, but the bigger task is getting pilgrims out of the area as many roads have been blocked. We should be able to complete rescue operations in Kedarnath by this afternoon, but the main roads are blocked so sending pilgrims home will be a great challenge.." Executive Director, DMMC Piyush Rautela told CNN-IBN. 9.28 am: PM, Sonia to visit Uttarakhand Prie Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi are likely to conduct an aerial survey of Uttarakhand this afternoon, CNN-IBN reported. The death toll in the state is at around 130, but this number is expected to rise further. Over 8,000 pilgrims are stuck in Badrinath in the state, the latest reports said. Rescue operations are underway, but bad weather is hampering work. State police and all police stations in affected areas are involved in rescue operations along with the NDRF, ITBP and Army personnel. 800 tourists have been rescued and are at Kedarnath Phata while 125 people are rescued from Guptkashi in Rudraprayag distance Meanwhile in other parts of North India, roads continue to be blocked and rivers are flowing well above the danger mark. 9.14 am: Rescue officials hope to complete Kedarnath rescue operations by noon The Uttarakhand Disaster Management executive has said that the organisation hopes to finish all rescue work in Kedarnath by this afternoon. Speaking to CNN-IBN, the director said that as many as 14 choppers would be utlised in Ramban and Kedarnath. Rains have ceased in the state, but there is still ever present danger from landslides, officials said. 8. oo am: Yamuna rises above danger mark, set to cross 207 metres today The Water level in the Yamuna is set to rise over 207 metres – the highest the river has touched in 35 years. The Yamuna crossed the danger mark in Delhi on Tuesday and the water level is expected to rise further today when the water from the Hathnikund barrage reaches the capital. Over 1,500 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas in east Delhi like Usmanpur, Yamuna Bazar, Bhajanpura and Shastri Park and relief camps have been set up for their shelter. 7. 15 am: Haryana announces Rs 10 cr relief for Uttarakhand Haryana government on Tuesday announced Rs 10 crore for relief work in Uttarakhand hit by heavy rains and landslides. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda talked to his Uttarakhand counterpart Vijay Bahuguna and said that the relief amount would be given to the state tomorrow, an official spokesman said.  via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNG3fBIi2oxVkqZ3zuJ0l9q76yHurQ&url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/uttarakhand-live-uttar-pradesh-rushes-team-of-doctors-889911.html | |||
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Thursday 20 June 2013
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