Uttarakhand on alert as landslides block roads

Officials said that many interior roads in the state8217;s hilly districts have been hit by landslides. Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Chamoli, Ruraprayag, Nainital and Pitthoragarh are among the worst-affected districts. Silt due to flood-like conditions in the Ganga river had also led to the closure of Teloth powerhouse. However, in one good news, Tehri dam officials prepared to fill the dam reservoir to 820 m level for the first time since the commissioning of the project. This would also help enhance power generation.

The dam officials have issued a public notice asking people living in the vicinity of the reservoir to vacate the area. Even as the Government claimed they were ready to tackle any crisis, Suryakant Dhasmana, state president of the Nationalist Congress Party NCP, alleged that despite having a Disaster Management Ministry, Uttarakhand was ill-prepared for natural disasters.

According to Dhasmana, since the formation of the state in November 2000, all that the ministry had done in the name of disaster management was spend money on foreign tours of ministers and officials. He demanded a white paper on the same.