leader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt on Saturday demanded head of the Uttarakhand Government for failing to extend relief on time to the pilgrims by sending a three-point memorandum to the President and the Governor.
He also held the State Government responsible of death of several pilgrims who died of hunger and thirst, even after escaping the disaster.
Bhatt demanded that the natural disaster that struck the State should be announced as national calamity and the State Government should be ousted as it failed to extend relief on time to the several pilgrims who were stranded in the region after the disaster. They died of hunger and thirst.
Bhatt alleged, “After end of the operation by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army in the area, the State Government announced that the pilgrims were evacuated completely from the region. Even after that recovery of large number of bodies in Kedarnath area during past few days proved that several pilgrims, who escaped the disaster and remained stranded in the area, died of hunger and thirst due to insensitivity of the Government.”
Bhatt further added, “State Government is responsible for all these deaths and it has no moral right to live in power even for a moment.” He demanded that NDRF and Army should carry out intense combing in the area. Bhatt further said, “The State Government is spending its energy in siphoning off the relief fund (Rajya sarkar apni puri urja aapda rahat ke dhan ko thikane lagane me kharch kar rahi hai). It has nothing to do with the public interest.
He further said that instead of dedicating itself for the cause of extending relief work, the State Government was busy in clearing license for the distillery. “Even today the Government doesn’t have complete account of the disaster,” Bhatt said. “For carrying out cleanliness in Kedarnath area, the State Government gave contract to black listed company EPIl. I have strong objection over the decision,” Bhatt said. He alleged that extending relief to the victims was not priority of the State Government.