Stuck in a small lodge at Haridwar, Chinchwad resident Neelkanth Joshi was near tears when he told dna over the phone that food was running out of stock. He hadn’t spoken to his family back home owing to a communication failure.“We want to return home and are appealing to the railway authorities to make special arrangements. We all are senior citizens and many of us have fallen sick. We are starving for three days with no supplies from the Army and don’t know from where we can get food locally,” said Joshi. Pune-based advocate Shashikant Patole, whose relatives are stranded at Gaurikund, said that a few members of the group were suffering from cold, cough and diarrhoea and some have blood pressure problems. “They are left with dry snacks and a little food with no access to a doctor. They desperately need help,” he said.Choudhary Yatra Company’s tour manager Badrinath Choudhary, who was at Srinagar near Badrinath, said that four groups of travellers were stuck at various locations.” The worst affected are those at Yamnotri. They have ration left only till Wednesday evening. They are waiting to be airlifted and we don’t know how long it would take to get them to safety or provide them with supplies. One of our groups is stuck at Sonprayag near Kedarnath where drinking water is sparse and black market trading has started. Even money is running out with no access to ATMs either. Another group is stuck at Badrinath where the access bridge has broken and I am unable to contact them as there is no power either,” he said, adding that all groups were waiting for roads to clear up so that they could reach up to Haridwar before proceeding towards New Delhi.Moshi resident Amol Patil said that he and his family were stranded at Barkot, between Yamnotri and Gangotri, with no electric supply and roads swept away by floods.“We are cut off from the world. Those who have opened their shops after two days are selling snacks at 10 times its original price. We have run out of gas cylinders and are worrying about the food for night. Gas agencies are refusing to give us cylinders even though we are ready to pay more stating that local requirements have to be met first,” he said, adding that a hand pump at the lodge fulfills their water needs.
“We have been told that the roads will be repaired by tomorrow (Thursday) evening. The wall build by the Army last night collapsed again due to gushing waters,” he said.
Affected areas
Yamunotri: According to Char Dham Yatri Sangathan (CDYS) convenor, Varinder Arora, there are around 25,000 pilgrims and tourists, including him and his family, trapped since Sunday in Damta, 70 km from Yamunotri.
Kedarnath: The damage is so severe that the Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna said it would be difficult for the Kedarnath Yatra to be resumed for a year.
Badrinath: The Army commenced “Operation Surya Hope” with the aim of providing relief to people in Badrinath, Hemkund and Kedarnath regions, where thousands are stranded.
Gangotri: Rampati Tripathi, former UP chief of the BJP is trapped in Uttarkashi. He has told colleagues that he has been stranded since June 15 after returning from Gangotri.
FLOOD FACTS
`10 crore assistance from Haryana government for the calamity-hit Uttarakhand
`25 crore help from Uttar Pradesh
380mm rainfall (14 inches) recorded in Uttarakhand; it is nearly five times the average received during this period
11,000 rescued so far, including 6,400 pilgrims at Joshimath and 1,200 at Kedarnath
12,000 pilgrims stuck at Badrinath shrine
13,000 people were at Kedarnath during the June 14-16 rain fury
100 priests in the Shiva shrine are yet to be traced
3,581 metres above sea level where the 1,000-year-old Kedarnath temple has been built
1,000 people employed at the Ram Bada market and whereabouts of several hundred government employees not known
250 plus government and private hotels and lodges have been flatted apart from over 100 shops. This includes 40 small hotels on the banks of the Mandakini river in Gaurikund area
500 roads damaged; over two dozen bridges destroyed
5,500 mules registered on the 14-km walking stretch from the base camp to the shrine. There is no information on them or the people they were carrying
14 teams comprising 540 people from National Disaster Response Force deployed in Uttarakhand
25 helicopters dropped food packets and other relief
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}