Uttarakhand floods: More states join relief efforts; Bihar, Odisha give Rs 5 crore aid

Bihar and Odisha on Thursday announced Rs five crore aid each for relief work in flood- ravaged Uttarakhand, as more states joined efforts to bring back stranded pilgrims and tourists back home.

Actor-politician and BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha also volunteered to donate Rs 50 lakh from his fund for rehabilitation of victims in the hill state.

Amid reports of about 100 people from Odisha being stranded in different parts of Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced a contribution of Rs five crore for relief work.

"The amount will be given from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF)," an official at the Chief Minister's Office said, adding that a state government official team has rushed to Dehradun to coordinate the safe evacuation of stranded people from the state.

"We are in touch with Uttarakhand administration and taking all possible steps for rescue of Odias," Home Secretary U N Behera said in Bhubaneswar.

A round-the-clock control room has also been opened at Odisha Bhawan in New Delhi to assist family members of the affected people.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made a contribution of Rs five crore from the Chief Minister's Relief fund.

A state government official has gone to Dehradun with the cheque of Rs five crore on the instruction of the chief minister, Anjani Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to the CM, said in Patna.

Hundreds of people from Bihar are among those trapped and senior BJP leader and MLA Ashwani Kumar Choubey, who was among them, has since been rescued.

"I wish to donate Rs 50 lakh from my fund for expediting relief and rehabilitation of victims in Uttarakhand and appeal to other parliamentarians to come forward with monetary assistance in this hour of crisis," Sinha, Lok Sabha member from Patna Saheb in Bihar, told PTI over phone from Mumbai.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said about 400 tourists from the state are stranded and that the government would take all steps on a "war-footing" to bring them back,

However, they were "safe", she said in a statement.

After chairing a review meeting at the Secretariat in Chennai, Jayalalithaa said in a statement that a high level committee headed by Government of Tamil Nadu Special representative at New Delhi has been formed that would leave for Dehradun to bring the pilgrims back to the southern state.

The Committee would coordinate with the Uttarakhand Government and the Centre to bring the tourists by helicopter to Dehradun. They will be later flown to New Delhi and from there brought back to Chennai, she said, adding, their travelling expenditure will be borne by the state government.

Besides, a help centre has been set up at the Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi.

A seven-member special team from Madhya Pradesh reached Dehradun to coordinate relief works to safely evacuate nearly 3,000 pilgrims from the state

The team comprising officials and doctors will set up a control room for people from MP at Haridwar and extend all possible assistance to them for retuning home.

After reviewing updated information from Uttarakhand at the emergency meeting called by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the government decided to send the special team.

The Chief Minister also directed to consider possibility of deploying private helicopters, if required.

Chouhan ordered that temporary camps should be set up for affected persons of the state at Gayatri Peeth, Patanjali Peeth and other places.