The danger of landslides has been looming large in the mountainous parts of Uttarakhand, but the Government has maintained an apathetic attitude to this threat for many years.
Though a separate Disaster Management Ministry was formed in the State, nothing concrete was done by this Ministry. A total of 233 villages were declared sensitive from this view point in 2010, but little has been done for the safety of those living in these villages so far.
The rehabilitation policy was framed by the Government in 2011, but not a single susceptible village of any district of Uttarakhand has been relocated apart from Chatikhal in Rudraprayag which has been partially rehabilitated.
According the official sources, 233 villages were marked as sensitive villages in 2010. These villages include 19 each in Pauri and Tehri, 49 in Chamoli, five in Uttarkashi, one each in Rudraprayag and Udham Singh Nagar, two in Dehradun, 71 in Pithoragarh, nine each in Champawat and Almora, 42 in Bageshwar and six in Nainital district. The Disaster Mitigation and Management Centre has no information about the number of vulnerable villages in 2013. Despite repeated calls, the DMMC executive director did not respond.
The locals and tourists who have faced the brunt of disasters resulting from heavy rains, flooding and landslides have been excoriating the callous attitude of the State Government and district administration towards rescue and relief operations, but have praised the work undertaken by Army, IAF, ITBP and NDRF.
Some have also said that the relief work and distribution of compensation should also be handed over to the Army. Veteran politician and social worker Vinod Sachdev supported this demand while adding that no public representative of State had announced any help from his or her pocket for victims.