PrashantNews
After the completion of the rescue operation, the Uttarakhand government on Tuesday said a total of 15,000 people have been rescued from Kedarnath area in the hill state.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced that helicopter service to the Kedarnath shrine would be resumed from Wednesday. “We are resuming helicopter service to Kedarnath tomorrow and tickets will be available with 25 percent subsidy,” the Chief Minister said after an aerial survey of the disaster-affected areas of Kedarnath.
Dhami said the Kedarnath trek and the highway have been damaged at 29 places. In addition to this, electricity and water lines have also been damaged. He said a total of 15,000 people have been rescued from Kedarnath area.
However, efforts are on to contact six people, whose phones are not being picked up in Kedarnath hills, State Animal Husbandry Minister Saurab Bahuguna told the media.
The army personnel are busy in reconstruction works in Kedarnath areas where big portions of treks and a couple of bridges have been wiped out in the heavy rains on Wednesday and Thursday that triggered cloudbursts, landslides and floods.
The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel have rendered yeoman service in Kedarnath rescuing hundreds of them from the arduous and steep terrains.
The authorities on Thursday launched one of the biggest rescue operations since the 2013 Kedarnath deluge after a big portion of the Garukikund-Kedarnath trek at Bhimbali wiped out. The centre also pressed chinook and MI-17 helicopters to rescue the pilgrims around the Kedarnath areas on Friday. Hundreds of pilgrims have been airlifted so far.
Chirvasa helipad where landslides have obstructed the operation of helicopters has been restored with the help of SDRF. The Chief Minister has also asked the top officials to start repair work for the damaged trek which has disrupted the yatra since Wednesday. The Kedarnath yatra has been suspended since Thursday.
At least 20 people were killed in cloudbursts, landslides and floods triggered by heavy rains since Wednesday in Uttarakhand.