Uttarakhand CS speculates possible death of 1 to 150 people in the Rishi Ganga power project. Three dead bodies found.
The chief secretary of Uttarakhand Om Prakash has expressed his apprehensions of about one hundred to 150 people working in the Rishiganga Hydro Power Project near Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand including labourers having died. According to the latest news about 100 employees working in the Rishi Ganga Hydro Power Project and 50 in Tapovan are reported to be missing giving rise to speculations of their possible deaths.
The news reports say that the entire Rishi Ganga Hydropower project has been damaged and the Tapovan project as well. This noon at 11.30 the vedios of the local inhabitants started appearing in social media going viral exhibiting the massive flow of gushing Rishi Ganga river reminding of the 2013 ecological disaster of Kedarnath. Though the situation has been reported to be under control to a great extent but in Tapovan there are reports about more than hundred people missing and massive damage to the Tapovan and Rishi Ganga project almost damaged fully.
This morning a Himalayan glacier melted resulting in excessive flow of water in the Rishi Ganga river, damaging the Rishi Ganga Power Project completely including the Tapovan project, with speculation of 100 to150 people having met the sad end. This was just an apprehension said CS of Uttarakhand Om Prakash as it has not been confirmed till then.
According to the version of the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat who has reached the Tapovan to expedite relief operations alongwith various disaster management teams like NDRF including the chief secretary OM Prakash, three dead bodies have been retrieved till yet.
The prime minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah has also been acquainted of the latest situation.
There is panic in Chamoli district after the melting of a glacier leading to this massive tragedy.
However, the Chamoli district residents heaved a huge sigh of relief after the gushing river flow tranquilled before reaching Srinagar ferociously as was the case in June 2013.
It has been reported that this being the winters the glacier melting was comparitively less as would have been during summers resulting in less water coming out after melting of glaciers finally subsiding.
There are reports that a Dam at Srinagar will release the water in case it is accumulated at Srinagar Dam.
This power project was in buffer zone with 11 megawatt capacity.
The chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has informed that the govt is doing its best to lessen the damage caused by the disaster as the police SDRF n ITBP teams are doing their best to save the lives of the workers at both the construction sites affected by the disaster. However three dead bodies have already been recovered.
The governor of Uttarakhand Baby Rani Maurya has through a tweet said: I had spoken to the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat after I got the news of natural calamity and rising of the water level speedily. Am constantly in contact with the senior officers. The safety measures have been commenced. I pray for the speedy safety n recovery of the affected people tweeted governor of Uttarakhand.
