In view of the rainy season coupled with poor road connectivity, the State Government has launched helicopter service /air service under its contingency plan to Darma, Byas and Chaudas valleys and adjacent areas located in upper Himalayan region from Dharchula in Pithoragarh to ensure prompt relief to the needy in case of any eventuality.
Besides, perhaps keeping in view its past experiences, it has also started deploying teams of health experts in these upper Himalayan zones. The health teams will work in these upper Himalayan region on rotation basis and each team of health experts will be replaced by a new team of health experts after a month as the officials concerned of the Pithoragarh district administration informed.
Since teams of doctors have already been deployed on the Kailash Mansarovar route in the Byas valley in view of the ongoing Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage, so teams of doctors are being deployed in Dugtu, Chhiyalekh, Martoli and other parts of upper Himalayan of Pithoragarh in first phase.
Apart from looking after health services in Darma, Byas, Chaudas valleys to name a few, the team of health experts will also ensure proper arrangements of food and civil supplies in villages of the upper Himalayan border areas, said H C Semwal, District Magistrate, Pithoragarh.
“The decision has been taken to launch helicopter service and to deploy health teams in villages of upper Himalayan region following the direction of the Government,” added the DM.
The team of doctors will be assisted by necessary support staff including ward boys, pharmacists and other medical staff along with adequate quantity of medicines.
It is to note that Pithoragarh was one of the worst hit districts by devastating monsoon in Uttarakhand last year. Alleged ill-preparedness on part of the State Government only added to the woes of the people living in the natural calamity affected areas.
Among other problems poor road connectivity in upper Himalayan region is still a major concern for the Government. It may be recalled that due to poor road connectivity hundreds of people remained stranded in upper reaches of Pithoragarh including several villages of Darma valley and its adjacent area during devastating monsoon of the last year.
Thus agencies engaged in disaster management could not even establish contact with these stranded people for many days following bad road connectivity. Bad weather conditions only made it difficult for the beleaguered people in the disaster hit areas of the border district Pithoragarh last year.
In the absence of proper contingency plan like helicopter service, evacuation plan only got hampered during this period last year in Pithoragarh.
With poor road connectivity to upper regions of the border district, even a majority of the bridges on rivers which used to come in handy in accessing remote villages in upper Himalayan zones had also been washed away hitting the relief and rescue operation hard. Apart from landslides and cloudbursts caused by heavy rain, rivers' fury inflicted maximum damage to the lives and properties in the said area. Now completion of relief and rehabilitation works on time is the main concern before the officials concerned keeping in view rainy season ahead.
However, with opening air service by the Government keeping in view this past experience, at least it is hoped that people from the affected areas of the border district could be evacuated sooner to the safer places in case of any eventuality.