Central, State agencies monitoring Uttarakhand glacier burst aftermath: Amit Shah

Respective agencies of the Centre and State are monitoring the situation in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district where a glacier burst resulted in a massive avalanche and flashflood, Union Home Minister Amit Shah informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday. "All agencies of the Centre and State are monitoring the situation. A total of 450 jawans of ITBP, five teams of NDRF, eight teams of Indian Army, a Navy team and five helicopters of the Indian Air Force are engaged in search and rescue operation," he said.

While speaking in the Rajya Sabha, the Home Minister further informed the first instalment of the State Disaster Risk Management Fund of Rs 468 crore, allocated to Uttarakhand for the Financial Year 2020-21, has been sanctioned to the state. "In the Financial Year 2020-21, Rs 1,041 crore has been allocated to Uttarakhand under the SDRF fund. The first instalment of Rs 468 crore, has already been sanctioned to the state. We are taking all necessary precautions to step up safety and rehab work," he added.

12 people from the NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation), along with 15 people from Rishi Ganga projects have been safely evacuated from a tunnel in the affected area, Shah further informed, "About 25-35 people could be stuck in a tunnel of a different NTPC project. Rescue efforts are underway to evacuate them," he said, adding that one NTPC hydropower project that was under construction on the Dhauliganga River in the lower area was damaged by the flash floods.

The Home Minister further informed that the Uttarakhand government has said that the floods no longer pose a threat to the low-lying areas and the water level is receding. After his address, members of Rajya Sabha observed a moment of silence to pay tribute to the victims of the incident.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat on Tuesday conducted an aerial survey of areas affected due to the glacier burst and visited the ITBP hospital in Joshimath, Chamoli where injured people have been admitted. The death toll in the incident has mounted to 28, the Chief Minister told ANI on Tuesday. (ANI)

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