The state government on Wednesday dispatched 25 buses to bring back pilgrims from Rajasthan who were stranded in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand. Nine specialist doctors have also been sent to treat the injured and assist the medical team of Uttarakhand.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot took stock of the situation at a high-level meeting at CMO and instructed officials to send relief immediately to affected areas. Gehlot said, “Soon after monsoon mayhem in Uttarakhand, we sent a team of RAS officers and our minister. We are monitoring the situation round-the-clock and our officials are in constant touch with their counterparts in Uttarakhand.”
Deepak Upreti, principal secretary, health has been asked to camp in Dehradun till the rescue operation is over. He is joined by the team of doctors.
“I will coordinate between two state governments. This will help us in knowing what immediate relief is needed. We are also setting up camps at Dehradun, Rishikesh and Haridwar which will start functioning from Thursday morning,” said Upreti while leaving for Dehradun.
The state government has also set up a control room in secretariat which will be attended by senior officials round-the-clock. The relatives of those who have been missing can approach these centres. A sum of Rs 3 lakh has been given to officers who left for Uttarakhand so that they can use it for relief work.
However, despite all efforts from state machinery, the exact number of missing persons from the state could not be ascertained. According to control room set up by the state government, they have received a list of around 1,500 people. “Still we are not in a position to comment on how many people from Rajasthan are stranded. As the weather is getting clear and connectivity is resuming, information has started trickling in,” said a senior official of state disaster management and relief department.
Relatives are worried and praying for the well-being of their near ones. “I am not able to get in touch with my younger brother for the past two days. We are clueless about them,” said Vinod Sharma, a resident of Sanganer. Many have registered their relatives name and contact details with the state and district administration.
To gauge the ground situation and hand over assistance from Rajasthan government, Brijendra Singh Ola, minister of state for disaster management and relief met Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna on Wednesday. “We handed over him a cheque of Rs 2 crore and assured full cooperation from our side. He has thanked people of Rajasthan for standing with them during this crisis. CM also assured that every effort will be made to send trapped people from Rajasthan back home at earliest,” Ola told TOI.
Gehlot appeals to donate money
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot urged people to come forward and contribute to CM’s relief fund. The money donated will be tax free. “Whenever country faced any crisis, we have received almost Rs 10-15 cr each time. Our people have benevolently contributed for the causes and this has been our tradition,” said the CM. The government has opened a separate account for such donations. Anybody who is interested can deposit cash, cheque and draft in the account.
While talking to media persons, he asserted that all the arrangements are being not just for people from Rajasthan but from all the states. “I have talked to pontiffs of several ashrams and informed them that our people may come there. They should make all arrangements for their stay and food,” said Gehlot. Officials have also been instructed to extend all necessary help to everybody irrespective of their statehood.
src: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/jaipur/Rajasthan-sends-25-buses-to-bring-stranded-pilgrims/articleshow/20672566.cms