Uttarakhand CM orders swift relief efforts amid heavy rains and landslides in Tehri Garhwal

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], July 27 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey and District Magistrate Tehri Garhwal Mayur Dixit to carry out relief and rescue operations effectively in response to the damage caused by heavy rains and landslides in Bal Ganga and Budha Kedar of the Bhilangana development block of Tehri Garhwal.

Expressing grief over the incident, the Chief Minister has asked the Minister in charge of Tehri, Premchand Aggarwal, to visit the spot and review the relief and rescue work.

Chief Minister Dhami has directed the Tehri District Administration to immediately identify the sensitive villages in the affected area and shift them to a safe place. The Chief Minister also directed that, along with the local residents, arrangements be made to keep cattle and other domestic animals in safe places.

The Chief Minister directed the District Magistrate to ensure the arrangement of electricity, drinking water, etc. in the relief camp on a priority basis and also provide the permissible relief amount to the victims immediately.

District Magistrate Mayur Dixit, while giving information about the incident, said that due to heavy rain and landslides in the Balganga area of the Bhilangana development block of Tehri Garhwal district, information was received that two women were buried under debris in a house in Toli village. SDRF, Police, Revenue, and Health Department teams immediately left for the spot and search and rescue operations were started. “The CC road above the house was damaged due to debris. The household goods of a very sensitive Purnima Devi have been shifted,” he said.

He said that the rescue team has removed the bodies of Sarita Devi, wife of Virendra Singh, and Ankita, daughter of Virendra Singh, from the debris, while an injured Virendra Singh has been admitted to PHC Beleshwar after first aid. Relief amount cheques of Rs 4 lakh each have been given to the families of the deceased and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh 35 thousand for house damage was immediately made available. Along with this, compensation relief amount cheques were distributed after an investigation of 2 animal losses.

Apart from this, a house has been washed away near the pool in Thati Budhakedar Nath. The houses and shops located near the road that is getting hollow due to the water level of the river in the market below the gate of the Dham have been evacuated.