Apart from the search and rescue teams is still working in disaster affected areas of Chamoli and Pithoragarh district. Politicians too have been focusing on the disaster affected areas albeit from a different perspective. The Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress
Committee president Kishore Upadhyay visited the Didihat area in Pithoragarh district and Ghat area of Chamoli district. Another politician, State labour Minister
Harish Chandra Durgapal visited some of the injured people at the Government hospital in Haldwani.
About 20 people are feared dead in the affected areas due to the disaster but the death toll is likely to rise considering that about a dozen people are still missing and the bodies of villagers may be extracted from beneath the landslide debris in the coming days.
Viewing the damage wreaked by the disaster in Ghat and Bastadi areas among other places, the PCC chief reportedly issued necessary directions to the officials of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) deployed in the rescue and relief efforts, informed the PCC spokesman and Garhwal region coordinator lakhpat Butola. He said that roads are destroyed and damaged in patches which is hampering movement of people and materials in the area. Those bringing in relief material are also facing challenges trying to transport such important items to the disaster affected areas due to the pattern of road damage. Speaking during his tour of the disaster affected areas, Upadhyay demanded that the Central Government should provide adequate fund to the State for disaster management works and that wireless spectrum should be installed in the State’s mountainous areas to enable telecommunication during disaster scenarios. Accusing the BJP of playing “politics” on the disaster incidents, Upadhyay said that the Bharatiya Janata Party had received strong mandate of the public in the lok Sabha elections despite which the BJP-led Central Government had continued to ignore Uttarakhand. After completion of two years of its term in office, the BJP-led Central Government has now given ‘representation’ to Uttarakhand by according the status of a union minister of State to BJP MP from Uttarakhand,
Meanwhile, in Haldwani, the State’s labour minister Harish Chandra Durgapal of the Congress’ alliance partner Progressive Democratic Front (PDF) visited the government hospital to check upon the condition of those undergoing treatment for injuries sustained during the disaster in Pithoragarh. Durgapal also went to the intensive care unit of the hospital to learn about the condition of Neelam, Manju and Chandramohan Bhatt who were seriously injured in the Bastadi village. Assuring all possible assistance to the injured persons, the minister and lalkuan MlA told the hospital administration that the entire treatment of the disaster affected persons should be conducted free of cost. Giving special care to them, better medical treatment facilities should be provided to the disaster injured, he added.