In continuing search for SDM Ajay Arora, who had slipped into Mandakini river while crossing temporary wooden bridge on July 31 at Kedarnath, his brother Sanjeev Arora and cousin Raju Parihar reached Guptkashi on Sunday.
They were taken upto Sonprayag, but could not visit Kedarnath due to inclement weather conditions. This was diclosed by the Rudraprayag District Magistrate Dilip Jawalkar while talking to The Pioneer. “Our rescue team comprising Uttarakhand Police, Revenue police, diver and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are busy in search operation in between Sonprayag to Gaurikund.”
Their relatives had expressed their wish to participate in search operation in Kedarnath personally; so the State Government had brought them from Dehradun to Guptkashi. They have reached Guptkashi and if weather permits, they will be taken to Kedarnath on Monday by chopper. Replying to a question whether the administration would declare him dead, DM Jawalkar said: “We have included his name under missing list and search operation is on.” Meanwhile, district administration has disbursed Rs 40.02 crore among the 397 recipients, whose relatives are missing since cloudburst, in Rudraprayag so far. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand police claimed that they have cremated eight bodies, which were stuck under the debris since cloudburst in Kedarnath on June 16-17, in Kedarnath on Sunday. Before cremation police has collected their photo, identification mark and DNA samples.