Dehradun disaster control centre received more than 250 phone calls from the disaster affected persons in the last four days. This centre on Wednesday also received calls from the relatives of stranded pilgrims belonging to States including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi and other places.
A disaster affected pilgrim also phoned the centre from Uttarkashi stating that he was in a car with members of his group at Yamunotri. Due to landslide and the road being blocked, he is unable to move. He and his group had seen a helicopter on Wednesday but they were apparently not spotted from the chopper.
Dehradun District Magistrate BVRC Purushottam got four telephones installed in the disaster control centre on Wednesday. He said that the centre received calls related to water logging, collapsed safety walls, damaged houses, sewage and crops. Based on these reports, officials concerned were deployed on the spot and public concerns were addressed. The officials deputed to the centre have been directed to verify whether callers’ grievances are reddressed.
According to department officials, many callers belonging to different parts of the country had phoned the centre to know whereabouts of their stranded relatives. Due to insufficient information, these callers were given telephone numbers of districts concerned and State disaster control centre. Very few phone calls were received in the centre from different parts of the district on Wednesday.
According to centre officials, eight roads including Mussoorie-Chakrata, Haripur-Isari, Munighatidev-Saiya Smalta, Ranigoan link road, Utpalta Raroli, Urba Guarna, lalpur Visuai are blocked. The department officials are working on clearing these roads. Residents of these places had also called the centre.
Vasant Vihar resident Ajay Aggarwal who visited the centre to know whereabouts of stranded relatives said that a group of 10 persons including two children went to Kedarnath on June 15. Out of these, four persons including Utpal Aggarwal, Sapna Aggarwal, Ujwal and Gudia went missing after Sunday. last time, he had contacted his relatives when they were at Gauri Kund and they were about to depart for Kedarnath.
Ravi, a caller from Firozabad called the centre and asked about stranded relatives who had gone to Yamunotri. The officials gave him telephone numbers of Uttarkashi disaster control centre and state disaster control centre.