New Delhi: The Army along with other authorities continued its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations in the disaster-hit Dharali region of Uttarakhand. A cloudburst hit Dharali, near Harsil on Tuesday. The region remains largely cut off due to multiple landslides and roads being washed off.
Rescue operations on in region
Both the civil and military teams are working round the clock to rescue the stranded people, provide relief, and restore connectivity. According to reports,several roads, including those leading to Bartwari, Linchigad, near Harsil, Gangrani, and Dharal have been washed away. Work is going on to restore these roads at the earliest.
Some helipads in the region have become operational. One such helipad is the military helipad at Harsil. Another helipad which is now ready to use by the military is the one located at Nelong. This helipad is connected by road to Gangotri and is helping in the smooth movement of tourists. However, the civil helipad at Dharali is not yet functional, due to a mudslide.
More than 225 troops have been deployed on the ground. These include engineers, medical teams, and rescue specialists. Apart from this, one Reeco Radar team is stationed at Tekla and another Reeco Radar is being inducted for further deployment.
Trained sniffer dogs are also being used in the search and rescue operations.
IAF deploys choppers for rescue operations
Apart from the Army, the Indian Air Force has staged Chinook and Mi-17 helicopters at Jollygrant and these are likely to commence induction of personnel and evacuation of civilians from today. The use of these machines depends entirely on the weather condition.
As of now 5 civil helicopters from Sahastradhara have been operating between Matli-Bhatwari-Harsil for rescue operations in coordination with SDRF. An ad-hoc aviation base is also being set up at Matli Helipad (ITBP) to expedite induction/de-induction operations.
70 rescued so far
Reports said that till now at least 70 civilians have been rescued from the deluge. But 50 are still missing. The government put the number of dead at 3. Apart from civilians, 8 jawans and 1 JCO are currently missing.
9 Army personnel and 3 civilians were rescued from Dehradun, said rescuers. Three critically injured civilians were moved to AIIMS Rishikesh for better treatment. Apart from this, 8 civilians are admitted to the District Hospital in Uttarkashi. The rescue team retrieved 2 dead bodies from the debris.
Meanwhile the Chief Minister of the state, Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Dharali on Wednesday. Apart from that the Army Commander Central Command and GOC, UB Area are on ground overseeing operations. The Chief of Staff Central Command in coordination with HQ Central Air Command is working towards ensuring seamless helicopter operations in the region, so that rescue operations are amped up.
The ITBP is providing food, shelter and medical aid to approximately 180-200 tourists stranded at Gangotri.
Further plan of action
As rescue operations continue, para troops and medical teams will be airlifted to Harsil via Chinooks. The NDRF personnel and medical staff will be taken to Nelong by Mi-17 helicopters. The return sorties will evacuate tourists from the Nelong helipad. Efforts are also on to open the roads ahead of Uttarkashi and Tekla.
