Accusing the State Government of inefficiency and apathy in the relief and rehabilitation works in the disaster affected Kedar valley, the affected people of this region under the banner of Kedarghati Visthapan va Punarvas Sangharsh Samiti have decided to organise a Panchayat in Rudraprayag on September 25 which will mark 100 days of the disaster which struck the State on June 16-17.
The head of the committee and former State government office holder, Ajendra Ajay lambasted the State Government stating that the focus of the government was on facilitating the resumption of routine worship at the Kedarnath shrine for earning political brownie points. The State government had failed to provide relief and facilitate rehabilitation of the thousands of disaster affected persons in the rural and semi urban disaster affected mountainous areas even though three months had passed since disaster wreaked havoc in the State.
He further said that the areas where the authorities are planning to settle residents of Semi and Chandrapuri villages of Rudraprayag district in an area which is not secure. “The government is trying to misguide the people in the name of pre-fabricated huts. On the one hand the High Court has ordered ban on all constructions within 200 metres of rivers and on the other hand the State government is ignoring this direction in selection of sites for setting up the pre fabricated huts for disaster victims.
The government is trying to force the pre-fabricated huts upon the affected people. The people do not want temporary solutions but want to be rehabilitated and resettled on a long term basis. The pre-fabricated huts will be strongly opposed by the disaster affected people being offered these,” he said.
Former district Panchayat member Dr Yogamber Singh Negi alleged anomalies in the distribution of relief and monetary compensation by the government. There were irregularities in compensation distribution in the area due to the skewed working style of the Ukhimath additional district magistrate, alleged Negi. The committee vice chairman Kuldeep Kandari alleged that the affected will undertake agitation if their various problems are not resolved by the Government.