In a letter written to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat has sought an additional grant of Rs 4,000 crore from the Central Government so as to ensure prompt, speedy, green reconstruction and restoration works and revival of the State economy suffering from the effects of the June 2013 disaster.
In the letter to Modi, Rawat stated that following the June 2013 disaster, more than 1.5 lakh persons were evacuated to safe places, alternate road links were activated to evacuate stranded persons and 131 relief camps were organised in the disaster-affected areas and evacuation routes to provide food, shelter and healthcare facilities to the affected persons. At no point did the State government claim that all dead bodies had been excavated and that there remained no possibility of retrieving human remains from the disaster affected areas. With the snow melting, the search operation has been launched and remains of the disaster victims are being retrieved, with the special task force being directed to complete the combing/search operations and take it to its final stage as expeditiously as possible.
The June 2013 disaster has resulted in major losses to the road infrastructure and many stretches of national highways are required to be realigned. The road stretches between Bhatwari and Gangotri as well as that between lambagad and Badrinath are slated to be taken up in the first phase. For avoiding recurring menace of landslides and flash floods, the State government is considering the option of tunneling which would require generous funding. Thanking the Central Government for extending swift financial support to the State, Rawat said that the State Government, too, has invested substantial amount on the roads owned by the Border Roads Organisation and the National Highways Authority of India due to the extreme exigencies, in utmost national interest and for restoring the Char Dham Yatra on time. Stating that the scientific and planned redevelopment of Kedarnath is a high priority for the State, Rawat states, “The State Government is facing the challenge of mobilising resources for undertaking landslide stabilization, bank protection and river channelization works together with disposal of riverbed material. Apart from the Mandakini valley, these works are immediately required in various identified stretches of Yamuna, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Pinder, Saryu, Goriganga, Kali, Dhauli and Nandakini valleys. Protection and restoration works are also required in Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Hemkund apart from places along the Kailash Mansarovar route. As the road connectivity often gets snapped due to disaster, the State is in the process of establishing 52 helipads at various locations for ensuring relief and rescue in the aftermath of any disaster. The State, having been deprived of most revenue resources in the name of environment conservation, cannot however undertake the gigantic task of rebuilding Uttarakhand without liberal funding from the Central Government. It is, therefore, requested to provide an
additional grant of Rs 4,000 crore to ensure prompt, speedy, green reconstruction and restoration works and revival of the State economy,” said Rawat in the letter to Modi.