Taking cognizance of the loss of lives and property due to cloudburst and incessant rain in Pithoragarh and Chamoli districts since Thursday, Uttarakhand Governor Dr K K Paul has expressed grief and sought detailed information from Chief Secretary Shatrughan Singh about the rescue and relief operations now underway in the affected areas.
Dr Paul said that at the beginning of monsoon, this was a serious situation and all departments concerned need to be extremely cautious in order to prevent any untoward situation in the coming days.
Special attention must be given to disaster-prone areas keeping in mind the warning issued by the Met department.
Special efforts must be made to activate all relief and rescue teams and maintain a smooth communication and traffic system to ensure that rescue and relief could be reached to the disaster affected areas.
He gave directions that adequate food supplies, medicines, medical care, drinking water and other necessities must be ensured in the affected areas and those who were prone to disaster.
In order to minimise the damage due to the disaster, concerted efforts were required, he stressed. A widespread public awareness campaign was also needed to ensure protection of life and property.
The Governor also told the Chief Secretary that besides immediate relief work, long-term plans to resolve problems in disaster-affected areas also needed to be chalked out.
The Governor is constantly following the situation caused by the heavy rain. He held a meeting on June 24 with senior officials of disaster management and others to review the preparations to deal with possible disasters.
He had given them important directions at the meeting, sources said.