Stranded Gujaratis running out of money, food in Uttarakhand
Hundreds of Gujarati tourists are waiting to be rescued; want road connectivity to be restored in the flood-hit Himalayan state
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Friday, September 24, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2010092420100924032327535817f8bf)
Hundreds of tourists from Gujarat are stuck in Uttarakhand, where flash floods and landslides, triggered by torrential rains, have caused widespread devastation and loss of lives. Many of them are running out of resources — food and money — and are waiting for local authorities there to rescue them.
Officials in the Himalayan state, however, are helpless because incessant rainfall has severely damaged more than 100 roads in Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Bageshwar, Nainital, Almora and Tehri Garhwal districts, which are home to numerous pilgrimage and tourist places.
Power and communication breakdown due to weather
The inclement weather has also led to power and communication breakdown in many parts of Uttarakhand. This has compounded Gujarati tourists’ problems as they cannot contact their family members here. All they can do is wait for authorities to reach them.
“There is no electricity here, and mobile networks work for only a limited period of time,” Amresh Patel, who is stranded near Brahmakhal village in Uttarkashi district, told Mirror over phone. Patel, 42, contacted AM when his mobile network was up briefly.
“We have contacted local officials, but they say there is little they can do until road connectivity is restored,” he said. Patel, a resident of Bapunagar, left for Uttarakhand with 22 others on September 14. As there is no power, only one person of the group keeps his/her cellphone on at a time.
“There are no facilities here. Many of us are scared as we don’t know when we will be able to return home safely,” he said. “As travelling in a bus or any other vehicle is not safe because of poor road conditions, authorities here have suggested that we should consider walking for a distance of 14 km to get out of the place. However, this is quite risky as we don’t know proper directions and we may get lost. Moreover, there are some in our group who are aged above 60, and they cannot walk so far.”
Most of the Gujaratis who are stuck in Uttarakhand went there for Chaar Dham Yatra. Apart from Gujarat, thousands of tourists from other parts of the country and abroad are also trapped at various places in the Himalayan state, especially on the Mansarovar route.
Private Helicopter services demand Rs 20,000 per person
“Shortage of food has forced us to eat only once in a day. I hope the Gujarat government pressures the Uttarakhand government to rescue people like us,” Patel said. The 42-year-old said that his group had considered hiring a helicopter to reach Dehradun. “We contacted an agency offering emergency helicopter services, but it demanded Rs 20,000 per person. We don’t have so much money with us,” he said.
Flash floods and landslides, triggered by heavy downpour, have claimed several lives and caused massive material damage in Uttarakhand. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced aid of Rs 500 crore for the state and has even decided to send an inter-ministerial team to assess the damage.
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Friday, September 24, 2010 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=3&contentid=2010092420100924032327535817f8bf)
Hundreds of tourists from Gujarat are stuck in Uttarakhand, where flash floods and landslides, triggered by torrential rains, have caused widespread devastation and loss of lives. Many of them are running out of resources — food and money — and are waiting for local authorities there to rescue them.
Officials in the Himalayan state, however, are helpless because incessant rainfall has severely damaged more than 100 roads in Chamoli, Uttarkashi, Bageshwar, Nainital, Almora and Tehri Garhwal districts, which are home to numerous pilgrimage and tourist places.
Power and communication breakdown due to weather
The inclement weather has also led to power and communication breakdown in many parts of Uttarakhand. This has compounded Gujarati tourists’ problems as they cannot contact their family members here. All they can do is wait for authorities to reach them.
“There is no electricity here, and mobile networks work for only a limited period of time,” Amresh Patel, who is stranded near Brahmakhal village in Uttarkashi district, told Mirror over phone. Patel, 42, contacted AM when his mobile network was up briefly.
“We have contacted local officials, but they say there is little they can do until road connectivity is restored,” he said. Patel, a resident of Bapunagar, left for Uttarakhand with 22 others on September 14. As there is no power, only one person of the group keeps his/her cellphone on at a time.
“There are no facilities here. Many of us are scared as we don’t know when we will be able to return home safely,” he said. “As travelling in a bus or any other vehicle is not safe because of poor road conditions, authorities here have suggested that we should consider walking for a distance of 14 km to get out of the place. However, this is quite risky as we don’t know proper directions and we may get lost. Moreover, there are some in our group who are aged above 60, and they cannot walk so far.”
Most of the Gujaratis who are stuck in Uttarakhand went there for Chaar Dham Yatra. Apart from Gujarat, thousands of tourists from other parts of the country and abroad are also trapped at various places in the Himalayan state, especially on the Mansarovar route.
Private Helicopter services demand Rs 20,000 per person
“Shortage of food has forced us to eat only once in a day. I hope the Gujarat government pressures the Uttarakhand government to rescue people like us,” Patel said. The 42-year-old said that his group had considered hiring a helicopter to reach Dehradun. “We contacted an agency offering emergency helicopter services, but it demanded Rs 20,000 per person. We don’t have so much money with us,” he said.
Flash floods and landslides, triggered by heavy downpour, have claimed several lives and caused massive material damage in Uttarakhand. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has announced aid of Rs 500 crore for the state and has even decided to send an inter-ministerial team to assess the damage.
