Uttarakhand will take a lot of time to fully recover from the wide spread disaster caused by trail of floods, cloudbursts and landslides. However, the locals, assisted by the administration, are working to bring life back to normalcy by repairing the losses. Rebuilding habitats, roads, schools, dispensaries, water supply lines, bridges and all other infrastructure network, which was swept away in the deluge, has taken a precedence.
As per latest reports available with the state disaster management center, the toll of human lives has gone upto 210. The chief secretary of the state, Subhash Kumar says that on the basis of preliminary estimates, the state has suffered the losses of about Rs. 21,200 crores. Beside heavy loss of human life, 222 villages and 9613 houses have been devastated, while 943 hectares of agricultural land has been destroyed. Nature's fury has also played havoc with 114 bridges and culverts and swept away 760 kilometers of drinking water supply lines. More than 900 roads, including highways and link roads, have been badly damaged.
The entire economy of the state has also been thrown out of gear. The yatra season, the backbone of the state economy, remained paralysed, with heavy losses to the state exchequer, the tour operators, the hoteliers and the locals. The Char Dham Yatra remained suspended for most of the time, the rafting operations in Rishikesh eco-tourism zone have not yet started due to swollen waters in the Ganga and the post monsoon opening of the national parks will be delayed this year.
Many hands are coming forward to provide succour to the victims of natural disaster. But it is not proving enough, considering the magnitude of havoc. There is also difficulty in rushing medical aid and other essential supplies, such as of clothes and food items, since the roads are badly damaged. Though some roads have been opened to restore connectivity, many still remain blocked and await repair. Three teams of the central government have visited the state to assess the losses caused by natural disaster. Though the members of the teams refused to comment on the amount of the losses, they said that the losses are really 'huge' and that they would soon submit the report to the central government. In a recent meeting with the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Home Minister, P. Chidambaram in Delhi, the state chief minister, Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank thanked the center for the interim relief of Rs. 500 crores and reiterated his demand for the assistance of Rs. 21,200 crores for the state, including Rs. 12,000 for the resettlement of the disaster battered villages. He also requested the prime minister to provide forest land for the relocation of the floods ravaged villages. He has also demanded that the norms of the central relief package should be modified in the case of Uttarakhand, since the goegraphical conditions in the hills are extremely challenging and the parameters of relief rehabilitation which apply for the plains cannot be applied for the hills.
Harish Rawat, the union minister of state for labour and employment and M.P. from Haridwar, has suggested the zoning of the state, which is highly prone to natural disasters, and also demanded a mandatory housing policy for the state. "The rains and floods have wreaked havoc specially in the low lying areas, in the villages on the banks of water channels and those situated on the slopes of the fragile hills, which are highly vulnerable to landslides. We need a long term policy to minimize losses due to natural calamities," said Rawat.
The demand has also started growing to put some sort of monitoring mechanism in place so that the benefit of the central relief package reaches those who have been hit by the natural calamity. "There have been reports of wide spread misuse of the huge central package in the recently concluded Kumbh at Haridwar. We do not want the same story to be repeated this time. The statistics of losses provided by the state government are inflated. I am sure the center, as usual, will be generous in extending a helping hand on the basis of estimates of actual losses, but the central funds should be properly utilized," said Dr. Harak Singh Rawat, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, who visited the disaster affected areas in many districts including Haridwar. Brahm Swaroop Brahamchari, a prominent saint and social activist of Haridwar has also demanded that besides the ministers and the officials, the leaders of all the political parties, the social organizations and the enlightened locals should also be involved in relief and rehabilitation operations to ensure transparency and proper utilization of the relief funds. "What is most important is that the help reaches those for whom it is meant and reaches them in time."
P.S. Chauhan
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