India

170 persons missing, Ten dead bodies recovered after glacial burst in Joshimath. Rs 4 and 2 lakhs compensation announced by PM and CM respectively

Prime minister Narendra Modi has announced Rs two lakh as ex gratia, financial compensation to the bereaved families of the deceased of the Dhauli Ganga glacial burst tragedy in Chamoli district of Garhwal, Uttarakhand with Rs fifty thousand to those injured.

The chief minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Rawat has granted financial compensation of Rs four lacs to the deceased of this tragedy.

According to the latest news about 172 people are missing and ten dead bodies have been retrieved till yet.

About five hours ago in the evening the Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat had announced about seven deaths with nearly 125 people missing.

The majority of the missing persons are employees or contractual workers working inside the tunnels in the NTPC power project at Tapovan about five kilometres away, downstream of the Rishi Ganganga Hydro Power project said the chief minister while addressing the press conference at Dehradun.

It may be recalled that the NTPC’s approximately Rs 13,500 crore hydro power project called Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project which has been almost damaged majorly on Sunday’s flash floods was under construction with about 65 to70 % construction work already completed leading to an estimated loss of Rs 450 crores. Situated near Tapovan village in Chamoli district this 520 megawatt production capacity hydropower project is situated in a buffer zone never advisable for construction, having been warned by several environmentalists earlier but of no avail.

This Dam was also damaged partly in the 2013 ecological disaster causing immense financial losses to NTPC posing future ecological n environmental threats. The project was commenced in 2006 with 250 metres long tunnels built in the buffer zone posing massive risks to human lives and environmental hazards.

On returning back to Dehradun from Rishi Ganga and Tapovan tragedy site after being there for several hours directing the rescue operations, the chief minister said that prime minister Narendra Modi talked to him twice over phone while he was busy in the rescue operations expressing his deepest condolences over the tragic incident and exhibiting serious concern giving all assurances of every possible central help.

The son of industrialist Mukesh Ambani Anant and the MD of Patanjali Acharya Balkishan also spoke to him, expressing their hearty desire to extend every possible help of support to the victims of the aggrieved families.

The MD of Patanjali Vidhyaperth Acharya Balkishan assured of every possible help , adopting the sons and daughters of those died in this tragedy to look after them and render their best education on their expenses for the entire life said the chief minister.

Giving details about the rescue operations chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the the NDRF, ITBP, disaster management and police teams including army has reached Tapovan and are dedicatedly busy in rescuing the employees stuck inside the tunnels.

Giving details about Rishi Ganga Hydro Power project and NTPC project in Chamoli district in Joshimath, chief minister Rawat said that in 13 megawatt production capacity Rishi Ganga Hydropower project about thirty five employees were engaged but in Tapovan NTPC project there were about more 170 employees working inside the tunnels.

There were two tunnels about 250 metres long. Those missing till now were working in these tunnels.

While thirty five employees working in Rishi Ganga Project were rescued with some of them having saved themselves in time after the adjoining inhabitants of nearby villages shouted loudly informing them about the danger in time.

Several other employees were also rescued by ITBP from the tunnels by entering inside through ropes as the tunnels were filled with thirty five feet silt and mud said the chief minister.

Though there were roads leading to the tunnel but the roads having been filled with excessive silt there was no way for machines and rescuers to enter the tunnels compelling ITBP jawans to enter through ropes revealed the chief minister.

He said that the district magistrate, the senior police officials, teams of disaster management, NDRF, ITBP, Uttarakhand Police etc are busy in the rescue operations.

Chief minister Rawat said that he got the information through the social media at 11.20 in the morning when he was heading for a social engagement.

He immediately rushed to the natural calamity site with the DIG and first took the arieal survey and then went to the affected spot by road at Raini where this deadly natural calamity occured.

Meanwhile the prime minister Narendra Modi has tweeted : I am in regular contact with the home minister Amit Shah, Trivendra Singh Rawat and the NDRF officers. The relief and safety operation is being conducted there. The people are being evacuated to safer places tweeted prime minister. He had earlier tweeted: Today we are at the bank of mother Ganges. But Uttarakhand the precinct of mother Ganges eruption is today confronting ecological disaster. There, the level of a river has enhanced tremendously. I have knowledge about the losses. PM tweeted.

The President of India Ramnath Kovind while expressing his anguish over the damage done due to the glacier destruction has tweeted : I am deeply anguished to learn about the extensive damage done due to the breaking of the glacier at Joshimath, Uttarakhand. I pray for the safety and recovery of the people. I am confident that the rescue operations are being carried out satisfactorily said president Kovind. The Vice President of India Venkaiyya Naidu while expressing his serious concern over the tragic incident of Chamoli tweeted: I am deeply anguished over the loss of lives n properties in Chamoli of Uttarakhand. The disaster management team and the administration are doing their best ensuring safety n relief of the victims. Praying for the safety and recovery of the victims of the natural calamity tweeted Vice president of India.

The president of France and the United States of America also condoled the tragic death of the victims of Chamoli, Uttarakhand. The president of France tweeted in response to PM Modi’s tweet: France expresses its full solidarity with India, after a glacier burst in the Uttarakhand province, leading to the disappearance of over 100 people. Our thoughts are with them and their families tweeted Emmanuel Macron, French president

The union defence minister Rajnath Singh in a series of tweets said : The Indian Armed forces have swing into action to assist the agencies in rescue operations. I have been watching the visuals from Chamoli district about the damage caused by glacier burst. In this difficult times, we stand shoulder to shoulder with the people affected by the tragedy. Praying for the well being of the people of Uttrakhand tweeted the defence minister.

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Sunil Negi

Sunil Negi is a senior journalist and president of Uttarakhand Journalists Forum ( Regd). He usually writes on socio political subjects and have been contributing articles in print media for the last several years. Mr. Sunil Negi had been felicitated by All India Achievers conference's Pride of India and excellence awards apart from several other recognitions. He has translated a book on ecological disaster of Uttarakhand of June 2013 and edited and published two editions of Uttaranchal's Who's Who.

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