The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Centre and the Uttarakhand Government to step up rescue operations to evacuate people caught in flash floods in the state.
The Centre and State Government, meanwhile, filed their action taken reports (ATR) in which they submitted that all possible efforts were being made by them to rescue those stranded.
A bench comprising justices A. K. Patnaik and Ranjan Gogoi said the governments should consider the suggestions to be submitted by the petitioner who had moved the PIL for the rescue of people and posted the case for further hearing on June 28.
In its ATR, the Centre said a total of 1189 air sorties had been undertaken by the Indian Air Force while the army had carried out 419 sorties.
By June 23, 96,500 people had been evacuated by various agencies and free transport was being arranged for people to reach their respective destinations. More than 4,000 vehicles had been deployed to bring people to Haridwar and Dehradun.
The report said that 80 per cent of telecommunication facilities hade been restored and 77 satellite phones distributed by the Centre to various agencies.
The State Government, in its ATR, assured the court that the evacuation would be completed within the next 72 hours. It said the death toll had been estimated at 560.
It added that there was no shortage of food items and essential supplies in the disaster-affected areas; 50,000 bottles of water, 50,000 packets of biscuits and 45,000 ready-to-eat food packets had been made available.Relief camps were being organised at 62 places.
PTI reports from Gauchar: A large IAF helicopter on Tuesday crashed during rescue operations near Gaurikund in rain-ravaged Uttarakhand, killing eight persons onboard, including five crew members.
“One Mi-17 V5 chopper on a rescue mission from Gauchar to Guptkashi and Kedarnath while returning from Kedarnath crashed north of Gaurikund,” an IAF spokesperson said.
Eight persons onboard, including five crew members, suffered fatal injuries in the mishap, the spokesperson said in Delhi. A Court of Inquiry has been order to investigate the crash.