Home secretary chairs meeting with senior officers of various departments to review relief n rescue operation at Tapovan, Chamoli
The Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla on Thursday chaired a meeting with senior officers of various departments to review the progress of rescue and relief work being carried out by Central agencies and agencies of the Government of Uttarakhand at the site of the hydro project of the NTPC at Tapovan on the Dhauliganga River, which was impacted by an avalanche in the upper catchment of the Rishiganga River in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand on February 7.
The Union Home Secretary reviewed the action required for regulating the flow of water from a temporary obstruction which has formed upstream from the project.
Secretary DRDO has been asked to depute experts for analysis of the situation and for taking appropriate remedial measures in co-ordination with Central and State agencies.
The Union Home Secretary assured of all possible help and assistance from Central agencies to the State Government as and when required by them.
The meeting was attended by Secretary of the Ministry of Power, DG ITBP, Chief IDS, Members of NDMA, DG NDRF, Chairman DRDO, CMD NTPC and scientists from various Central agencies along with other senior officers of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand Om Prakash joined the meeting with his team of officers through Video Conferencing.
It may be recalled that on February 7 th Chamoli, Uttarakhand witnessed a massive ecological disaster when a glacial outburst creating uncontrollable floods in Rishiganga n Alaknanda almost completely destroying 13 megawatt Rishiganga and NTPC’s 530 megawatt Tapovan Hydropower Projects. About thirty persons have died in this avalanche till yet and more than 170 missing with figures likely to go up. The ITBP, NDRF, SDRF, Army and Navy including the state police are dedicatedly involved in the rescue operations confronting highly challenging situation inside the two tunnels in Tapovan. The union and state government’s various wings are ensuring every possible safety measures to evacuate those stuck inside the tunnel. After June 17, 2013’s deadly ecological disaster the Chamoli avalanche is the second major tragedy happened in Uttarakhand due to the glacial outburst. About four swinging bridges of Malari have been completely damaged with about thirteen villages having been cut off with the state government supplying medicines and relief material to the affected populace. About eleven villagers of Raini n adjoining villages have died in this disaster with majority of dead n those missing being from the NTPC’s Vishnugad hydropower project.
Pic: twitter
