The flash floods in Uttarkashi have left many locals homeless, sweeping away people, houses, and entire families. Adding to their distress was the issuance of Rs 5,000 cheques as “immediate relief” on
Friday—an amount many felt was grossly inadequate given the scale of the tragedy.
According to a report by The Times Of India, several people refused to accept it and called it an “insult” to their “suffering”.
“We have lost everything: our families, homes, businesses worth crores. This amount is an insult,” one villager was quoted as saying.
The area has no electricity, and they received candles four days after the disaster battered the place.
“We spent those nights in darkness. Used firewood to heat food. Govt talks about ration, but that, too, has not reached us. We had to go door to door looking for it,” one of the villagers said.
This also sparked a protest as Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had announced Rs 5 lakh compensation.
Over 1000 People Rescued
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that over 1,000 people have been rescued, including devotees and pilgrims from across the country.
Speaking to ANI on Saturday, CM Dhami asserted, “More than 1000 people have been rescued. All the devotees and pilgrims from all across the country, who were stuck there, have been rescued… All the injured people have been shifted to hospitals. Connectivity was completely destroyed in Harsil. It was restored there yesterday. A Bailey bridge will be installed by evening near Lachi Gad, which will help reconstruct roads till Harsil.”
He added, “We have decided to provide affected families with rations for the next six months… A three-member committee is being formed under the chairmanship of the Revenue Secretary… They will see how the affected family can be rehabilitated and the extent of the loss incurred… We will also provide a relief package to those in need.”
Earlier on Saturday, CM Dhami met the state Governor, Lieutenant General (Retd.) Gurmit Singh at Raj Bhavan in Dehradun to take stock of the situation.
In a post on X, Dhami wrote, “I met the Honourable Governor @LtGenGurmit (Retd.) at Raj Bhavan. During this, we discussed the ongoing disaster relief operations in Dhrali and Harsil and the rehabilitation of the affected people.”
