Around 3,000 people are missing in disaster-hit areas in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said on Sunday. Mr. Bahuguna said if the missing people are not found a month after a First Information Report (FIR) has been registered, the State shall consider these people dead and shall provide compensation to the families. Mr. Bahuguna said the government’s priority is providing electricity, water, and establishing road connectivity. Until this work is done, the helicopters will continue to provide food and other essential items to affected villages.
A team of around 200 people will be sent to Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district for the cremation of the dead, he said.
Meanwhile officials said that of the 151 villages that need helicopter service, 46 are getting them. Of the 4,200 villages that have no road connectivity, roads have been restored in 2,865.
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Of the 1,840 roads that are blocked, 1,182 have been opened for vehicles. With 6,000 labourers and 385 excavators functioning throughout the State, the administration expects to restore all the roads by the end of July.
Around 1,000 drinking water schemes were damaged, out of which 184 still need to be made functional. Authorities said all drinking water schemes shall be made operational by July 10.
While electricity has been restored in 3,283 villages and hamlets, restoration works are on in 444 villages and hamlets. Power shall be restored in all such places by July 15.
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In Badrinath, the rescue operations, which, according to officials, should have been over by Sunday, will take another day since the locals are also evacuating the place — thus increasing the number of people that need to be rescued. By Sunday evening, 400 pilgrims including locals were stranded in Badrinath.
By Sunday evening, 866 people were evacuated from Badrinath through helicopters, and 545 by vehicles.
The State government on Sunday formed a Missing Persons Cell.