This refers to the article, “like vultures, they fight for remains” (July 9) by A Surya Prakash. The writer has correctly brought out the obnoxious and pathetic, yet true, picture of the regionalism being practised under the pretext of rescue operations.
Given that Kedarnath is a mass pilgrimage site for Hindus across India, the Uttarakhand disaster is probably the biggest and the worst, and one that has devastated the lives and livelihood of thousands, pilgrims and locals alike.
This was a calamity that required the nation to come together as one and channelise efforts towards rescue and rehabilitation, unmindful of regional/State considerations. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort happened. The political class should have let the Central agencies carry out the rescue operations and extended help in the form of cash and kind to the relief camps set up in Dehradun and other places, but they chose not to do so. Unfortunately, the tragedy has only exposed the narrow-mindedness and sectarian views of our leaders.