National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member VK Duggal, who was appointed nodal officer of rescue and relief operations in Uttarakhand by the Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde on June 21, has been asked to stay in Uttarakhand for the next three months on Sunday.
Duggal has consistently informed his seniors about the lackadaisical approach of the Uttarkhand Government officials, especially the Home department, which has failed to retrieve the bodies lying in Kedar valley since June 16-17 cloud burst.Instead of taking the work seriously their police personnel are busy in seeking sheer publicity in media. During rescue operation the Union Government had instructed state home department to supervise it but they failed to do so. It seems either they are over worked or they don't want to work.
Sources said that Duggal had already apprised the approach of the State Government official to the Union Government.Expressing his displeasure on the Union Government, who does not want to give an opportunity to the opposition BJP to raise issue in upcoming general election, has already appointed cabinet Committee to oversee reconstruction and rehabilitation work in flood raved State.
A day ahead of cabinet committee meeting, which is schedule to happen in Delhi on July 13, Duggal was very apprehensive and was busy in preparing detail report of Uttarakhand disaster and Action Taken Report (ATR) after disaster. In this, ten Union Ministers including AK Antony, Sharad Pawar, P. Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Sushilkumar Shinde, Oscar Fernandes, Kapil Sibal, Girija Vyas, Jairam Ramesh and Harish Rawat are the members.
The Committee is being chaired by the Prime Minister, in which Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and National Disaster Management Authority Vice Chairman M Shashidhar Reddy have been made permanent invitees.