Uttarakhand Health Minister Surinder Singh Negi on Sunday did not discount State Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal's claim but said 10,000 was just an estimate.
With questions being raised if the mayhem could have been averted, the Met department claimed that it had issued 'timely' warnings of heavy rains and landslides while the Uttarakhand Government claimed there was not enough prior indication.
Survivors are running from pillar to post to claim the immediate relief amount of Rs 2,000 in for the last five days. Many of the rescued pilgrims cannot pay their way back home as they have lost everything to the nature's fury. "We're penniless, how can we proceed unless we are given the relief amountIJ" 55-year-old survivor Mahendra Singh asks.
Uttarakhand Health Minister Surinder Singh Negi said, "Kunjwal has given an estimated figure. It is an estimate that can go up or down. It is too early to give the exact number of deaths." Kunjwal caused a flutter on Saturday with his claim of the death toll having crossed 10,000. But Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde clarified that the toll was 900 according to the information with him. He added that the complete figure was not out and it would take some time.
Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna termed Kunjwal's claim as 'inaccurate'. "We have so far cleared the 14-km pedestrian route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath. But there are many bodies that are still buried under mounds and mounds of debris. These bodies are trapped under 5-10 feet of debris. We need to clear them. Once we clear them, we will be in a position to give the (exact) toll figure," Negi said.
"We will get an exact number after counting the bodies and by adding the missing persons reports filed by the people whose near and dear ones are untraceable. We are taking the DNA of each body," he added. "Our first priority is to dig out the bodies, and the second is to restore the entire route. Third is to see that there is no outbreak of epidemic. We are monitoring the situation. So far, there is no fear," Negi said.