There was still no clarity over the number of deaths in the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand, with a State Minister on Sunday not ruling out an “estimated toll” of 10,000-plus in the tragedy.
Uttarakhand Health Minister Surinder Singh Negi 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 intimation.Meanwhile, there are reports of survivors running from pillar to post to claim the immediate relief amount of Rs 2,000 for the last five days.
Many of the rescued pilgrims cannot pay their way back home as they have lost everything to nature’s fury. “We’re penniless, how can we proceed unless we are given the relief amountIJ” 55-year-old survivor Mahendra Singh asks.
Survivors said they have not been able to get the relief cash allegedly due to irregularities in its disbursement. They said some officials entrusted the responsibility of distributing the money have been trying to embezzle the fund.
However, the State Administration is asserting that there has been no bungling in the disbursal of funds meant for the survivors.
IAS officer Ranjeet Sinha, in-charge of giving out the relief amount, denied any such irregularities saying the question of survivors being denied the amount does not arise. “Survivors may be stuck for want of money but they will never be denied what is due to them”, said Sinha.
A senior officer in Dehradun admitted that many survivors could not proceed further due to delay in payment, but assured that it is being ensured that each one gets the relief amount before leaving for their home States.
Meanwhile, the controversey over the death toll refuses to die down. While, State Assembly Speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal caused a flutter on Saturday with his claim of the death toll having crossed 10,000, Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna termed Kunjwal’s claim as ‘inaccurate’.
However, 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.”
“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 five to ten 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.
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.