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The Print
7 hours ago
- Climate
- The Print
A ‘blast-like sound', then came the deluge. Uttarkashi's Dharali grapples with trail of devastation
'We were eating lunch when the flood hit,' said 38-year-old Dharali resident Suresh Panwar. 'We ran to a higher point and saw the market being submerged. Our house got hit in the second wave.' As National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Army personnel carry out search and rescue operations—sifting through rocks, boulders and chunks of earth—villagers are still in a state of shock. Some lost family members, others homes and livelihoods. Dharali : From Mukhawa, the village on the mountain side opposite Dharali, a clear view of destruction the flash flood brought is laid bare. Dharali's entire market area is submerged, not a single structure in sight. A two-storey house has been dragged to the edges of the Bhagirathi riverbank, only part of its second floor and roof jutting out of the debris. The viral video showing the flash flood consuming everything in its path was just the beginning. After the first major outburst, the deluge returned in waves. Panwar told ThePrint he had vegetable patches and apple orchards that were destroyed in the flash flood. Most of the fields were downhill, near the banks of the river. Now, only a few apple trees remain, his only source of income. 'The durability and quality of the vegetables we grow here is very good. They don't spoil easily. We grow potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, peas and rajma (kidney beans),' he said, adding that the damage to his vegetable patches is in excess of Rs 5 lakh. This part of Uttarkashi is famous for its Red Royal variety of apples. Panwar has decided to abandon the two-storey wood and cement house his grandfather built, now inundated with silt and debris. Although his family was evacuated by helicopter to Matli a day after the floods, he stayed back to gather what was left of their belongings. 'If another flood comes here, we won't be saved,' he said, adding that the village was struck by floods in 2013, 2017 and now in 2025. 'But at the time, it didn't do much damage. Now 50-60 people have lost their lives in the market area alone.' Panwar pointed to an area right next to his house where his uncle lived. The patch of land is now covered in silt and debris, showing no signs of the house that once stood there. Referring to his cousin, Panwar told ThePrint that he 'had gone to the market to get cooking supplies; they just recovered his body'. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Deputy Inspector General Parminder Singh had told ThePrint earlier that the flash flood happened at about 1:30 pm on 5 August and personnel from ITBP reached Dharali by 4:30 pm the same day. In Pictures: A trail of debris, loss, feeble prayers—Scenes from Dharali, a village half buried under rubble 'It was like a blast-like sound' Most of the surviving villagers have moved to higher ground, setting up camp near the temple where the government has been storing rations. Local leaders are distributing bags of rice, potatoes, tea, cooking oil, shoes, mattresses and towels with the help of personnel from the ITBP and Uttarakhand police. Rajat Panwar was at this temple when the deluge came. 'It was like a blast-like sound. It strikes fear in my mind even now,' said Rajat, adding that he ran in the direction of higher ground and saw his family-owned hotel being submerged. 'I thought my immediate family members would drown, but they were safe. I lost some classmates and my aunt's son.' Having lost his hotel and apple orchards, he doesn't have any means to feed his family or build a roof over their heads. Choking back tears, he pleaded to the government—for shelter and a source of livelihood. 'In some families, people have lost the main earner. The government should give some sort of permanent employment, not necessarily a government job, to one person in each family, so at least the house can function.' 'Neighbouring villages see each other as one' In Harsil, some 7 km from Dharali, 18-year-old Shrikant Rawat runs up and down flights of stairs, ensuring guests in his family's hotel are taken care of. Rawat was in Dharali visiting relatives for a local festival when the flash flood struck Dharali and an Army camp in Harsil. 'I saw it with my own eyes,' said Rawat, who was on his way up to the temple when the flash flood came hurtling down the valley. 'Some people lost everything. What do village people have after all? Gold jewellery, fields, cows. Everything is gone for them.' Rawat added that the deluge came in waves, each devouring whatever came in its way in the blink of an eye. When he returned to Harsil, he saw that his village wasn't spared either. Newly built resorts on the banks of the river had been destroyed. 'For us, villages that are right next to each other we see as one village,' said Rawat, adding that he didn't want any support for Harsil, people were able to manage there. It is Dharali that needs more help, where villagers are living without electricity or clean water. Rawat said that between 50 to 80 people may have died in Dharali, a number he believes accurate based on conversations with local contractors, many of whom cannot account for migrant labourers. For now, these people are being counted as 'missing'. 'Village people are saying show us the body, because in everyone's mind they hold hope they will reunite with their loved ones,' he said. (Edited by Amrtansh Arora) Also Read: In disaster-hit Dharali, helicopters are lifeline for supplying rations. Work to reopen road on war footing
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
For those who survived Uttarkashi flash floods, physical wounds are healing, mental scars not so much
Sohanpal Singh Panwar is among the fortunate ones who lived to tell the tale. On August 5, when he was carrying out the maintenance work at his hotel in Uttarkashi's Dharali village, in anticipation of the September tourist rush, he heard screams and whistles, an omen from the villagers uphill. 'I thought it was a prayer to the devta, but then came debris, mercilessly washing everything in its way. It was just a few metres away, and I ran and ran as much as my feet could take me, but the muck caught up with me and my legs sank into it,' said Panwar, recalling the moment flash floods wreaked havoc in the area. Lodged at District Hospital, Uttarkashi, the only tertiary-care institute in a 100-km radius of Dharali, the 42-year-old is in the ICU, with his file mentioning the possibility of PTSD or post-traumatic stress disorder. The hospital currently has 11 patients, most of them Army personnel who were caught in the way of a mudslide at their camp in Harsil. They were on their way to Dharai for rescue when it struck them. The hospital offers treatments ranging from psychiatry to orthopaedic surgery. 'We have set aside 50 beds for the disaster victims,' said PS Pokhriyal, the medical superintendent at the hospital. As the rescue operations continued for the fifth day, and around 60 people remained missing, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami Saturday announced assistance of Rs 5 lakh for people whose houses were completely damaged in the disaster. In addition, those who lost loved ones will also receive Rs 5 lakh. The government has announced the formation of a three-member committee for the rehabilitation, restoration, and sustainable livelihood strengthening of disaster-affected villagers. At the hospital, the orthopaedic ward is silent despite its nine occupants, who are being nursed back, with families more concerned about their mental health. An Army man, with his face bruised and a few bandages wrapping his arms and legs, sat outside, speaking to his mother back home in Haryana. He did not smile for the entirety of the conversation. As Dr Priya Tyagi, the psychiatrist at the hospital, checked in on Panwar, he narrated the ordeal. 'I was near the 40-room hotel that flowed away, and we did not get enough time to comprehend what was happening. The muck had filled the area, and I walked and crawled for a kilometre. Then I heard from a villager in Dharali that Harsil was also struck. I spent the night at the village where a few strangers took me in, clothed and fed me,' he said. Dr Tyagi checked for signs of anxiety: 'Do you sleep well? Are you restless? Do these images come back to you?' Panwar said he has been experiencing sleepless nights. Prescribing Benzodiazepines to treat anxiety, Tyagi said this was an adjustment disorder, and he would get well in a few days. Speaking to The Indian Express, Tyagi said, 'I have been checking in on those who are physically affected, and they say they feel sad, confused, and shocked. It is wearing away with time, but if this persists for a month, it might manifest as depression or PTSD.' Tyagi added that the hospital expects a wave of patients seeking psychiatric care because many who witnessed the tragedy are yet to approach them. 'As Mukhba and Dharali remain cut off, we have yet to meet these patients,' she said. Panwar tells her the vacuum created by the floods has left him wondering about his future employment prospects. 'We had pooled in a lot of resources, time, and effort to bring it up, and all of it is gone. I saw floods in 2013, but this is more jarring,' he said. A porter for the Army at their camp in Harsil, Gopal (30), was injured after their camp was also struck. 'I was on leave till August 7, but got a call to join early and left for Harsil from the village on August 3. I was not supposed to be there,' he said. Gopal was packing the bags and the ration for the entourage moving to Dharali for the rescue when, at the gate of the third camp, a tide of debris and water descended upon them. He was flushed into the river for 500 metres and, spotting a tree nearby, grabbed hold of it. 'In a few minutes, our soldiers fished us out and got us admitted to the Military Infirmary. When I gained consciousness, I asked my colleagues not to inform my family,' he said. He was moved to the district hospital on August 6. Gopal says he has been going through long, sleepless nights. The screams of officers, the roar of the water, the crash of the torrents in Bhagirathi, and the pricking and puncturing of his skin by the bark of the tree keep playing through his mind. 'I could not sleep for two days. Yesterday, I did, but woke up and stayed awake till dawn. I hope this phase does not last.' Aiswarya Raj is a correspondent with The Indian Express who covers South Haryana. An alumna of Asian College of Journalism and the University of Kerala, she started her career at The Indian Express as a sub-editor in the Delhi city team. In her current position, she reports from Gurgaon and covers the neighbouring districts. She likes to tell stories of people and hopes to find moorings in narrative journalism. ... Read More
Hindustan Times
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
SC orders stay on felling of apple trees on forest land in Himachal
In a relief to apple growers in Himachal Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a high court order directing the removal of fruit-bearing orchards from encroached forest lands. Panwar said the HC in its July 2 order directed the forest department to remove the apple orchards and plant forest species in their place, with costs ordered to be recovered from encroachers as arrears of land revenue. (File) A bench of Chief Justice BR Gavai and justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria was hearing a plea of former deputy mayor Tikender Singh Panwar and activist Rajiv Rai, a lawyer. Appearing for Panwar, senior advocate P V Dinesh and advocate Subhash Chandran KR argued the HC had erred in its finding, which impacted lakhs of apple growers, especially in the monsoon season. Panwar said the HC in its July 2 order directed the forest department to remove the apple orchards and plant forest species in their place, with costs ordered to be recovered from encroachers as arrears of land revenue. 'The order is arbitrary, disproportionate and violative of constitutional, statutory and environmental principles, thereby necessitating the intervention of the Supreme Court to prevent irreversible ecological and socio-economic harm in the ecologically fragile state of Himachal Pradesh,' the plea said. Such large-scale tree-felling, particularly during the monsoon season, significantly heightens the risk of landslides and soil erosion in Himachal Pradesh, it added. Panwar said the high court order, mandating the blanket removal of apple trees without conducting a comprehensive environmental impact assessment (EIA), was arbitrary and in contravention of the precautionary principle -- a cornerstone of environmental jurisprudence. The plea argued the destruction of these orchards not only threatened environmental stability but also the fundamental right to livelihood enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution. 'The HC's order lacked the requisite EIA to assess its environmental and socio-economic impacts, thereby violating the principles of reasonableness and proportionality as elucidated in cases such as Coimbatore District Central Co-operative Bank,' the plea said. The petitioners further argued that the felling of apple trees during the monsoon season exacerbated ecological risks, including landslides and soil erosion, contradicting judicial mandates for environmental assessments as seen in T N Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India. The economic ramifications are equally severe, as apple cultivation is a vital component of Himachal Pradesh's economy, and its destruction threatens the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, thereby infringing upon their constitutional right to life and livelihood, the petitioners added. Panwar said as on July 18, reports indicated over 3,800 apple trees were felled in areas like Chaithla, Kotgarh and Rohru, with plans to remove up to 50,000 trees across the state. The apex court's decision was welcomed by farmer groups, who are planning to protest outside the Himachal Secretariat in Shimla on July 29. 'We are determined. Tomorrow's protest outside the Secretariat will not end in a few hours. If needed, we will sit there indefinitely. This is not an ordinary protest—it's a struggle for survival, for dignity, for justice,' said Sanjay Chauhan, Convener of the Himachal Pradesh Apple Growers Association. 'On July 2, the Himachal Pradesh HC passed an order directing the removal of apple trees on encroached forest and government land. But these trees are currently laden with fruit it's the apple harvesting season. This order was arbitrary and has caused enormous panic among farmers. We await the detailed order, but the initial communication has clearly instructed the state government to stop all ongoing tree felling immediately' he said. Chauhan claimed that approximately 4,500 apple trees had already been cut down, translating to a loss of 35,000 to 40,000 apple boxes, and an estimated economic damage of ₹400–500 crore. With inputs from HTC Shimla
News18
28-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
SC stays order for removing apple orchards from forest land in HP
New Delhi, Jul 28 (PTI) In a relief to apple growers in Himachal Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Monday stayed a high court order directing the removal of fruit-bearing orchards from encroached forest lands. A bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran and N V Anjaria was hearing a plea of former deputy mayor Tikender Singh Panwar and activist Rajiv Rai, a lawyer. Appearing for Panwar, senior advocate P V Dinesh and advocate Subhash Chandran KR argued the high court had erred in its finding, which impacted lakhs of apple growers, especially in the monsoon season. Panwar said the high court in its July 2 order directed the forest department to remove the apple orchards and plant forest species in their place, with costs ordered to be recovered from encroachers as arrears of land revenue. 'The order is arbitrary, disproportionate and violative of constitutional, statutory and environmental principles, thereby necessitating the intervention of the Supreme Court to prevent irreversible ecological and socio-economic harm in the ecologically fragile state of Himachal Pradesh," the plea said. Such large-scale tree-felling, particularly during the monsoon season, significantly heightens the risk of landslides and soil erosion in Himachal Pradesh, a region characterised by its seismic activity and ecological sensitivity, it added. 'Apple orchards, far from being mere encroachments, contribute to soil stability, provide habitats for local wildlife and form the backbone of the state's economy, supporting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers," the plea said. Panwar said the high court order, mandating the blanket removal of apple trees without conducting a comprehensive environmental impact assessment (EIA), was arbitrary and in contravention of the precautionary principle — a cornerstone of environmental jurisprudence. The plea argued the destruction of these orchards not only threatened environmental stability but also the fundamental right to livelihood enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution. 'The high court's order lacked the requisite EIA to assess its environmental and socio-economic impacts, thereby violating the principles of reasonableness and proportionality as elucidated in cases such as Coimbatore District Central Co-operative Bank," the plea said. The petitioners further argued that the felling of apple trees during the monsoon season exacerbated ecological risks, including landslides and soil erosion, contradicting judicial mandates for environmental assessments as seen in T N Godavarman Thirumulpad v. Union of India. The economic ramifications are equally severe, as apple cultivation is a vital component of Himachal Pradesh's economy, and its destruction threatens the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, thereby infringing upon their constitutional right to life and livelihood, the petitioners added. Panwar said as on July 18, reports indicated over 3,800 apple trees were felled in areas like Chaithla, Kotgarh and Rohru, with plans to remove up to 50,000 trees across the state. 'The enforcement of this order, as evidenced in public reports, led to the destruction of fully fruit-laden apple trees, evoking widespread public distress and criticism," the plea said. Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on July 17 said the state government was not in favour of felling apple-laden trees from encroached forest land, stressing time ought to be granted to auction the produce. PTI MNL MNL AMK AMK view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 21:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hindustan Times
22-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Man's call to tourism ministry unmasks job scam using forged letterhead of senior IAS officer
New Delhi, A call from a man to confirm joining formalities for a 'job' in the Ministry of Tourism has uncovered an employment scam in which fraudsters issued forged job offer letters bearing the name and fabricated letterhead of a senior IAS officer in the ministry, according to an FIR lodged with Delhi Police. Man's call to tourism ministry unmasks job scam using forged letterhead of senior IAS officer The matter came to light on June 18 when a man from Uttarakhand contacted the Ministry of Tourism to confirm joining formalities for a 'driver's job' at The Ashok Hotel in Chanakyapuri, an India Tourism Development Corporation entity, the FIR registered at the Parliament Street police station on June 21 by a ministry official said. 'On June 18, Manish Panwar telephonically contacted our office seeking clarification on the joining formalities for a purported job as a driver at The Ashok in Chanakyapuri,' the FIR said. Panwar was in possession of a fraudulent offer letter, which bore the name and an inaccurately reproduced version of the official designation of additional secretary and director general in the Ministry of Tourism. No immediate reaction was available from the officials of the tourism ministry. 'This document is entirely fabricated and has not been issued from our office. It appears to be part of a broader scheme designed to defraud unsuspecting individuals through false employment promises, using forged government credentials,' the FIR said. The forged letter not only involved impersonation and forgery but also posed a serious threat to the reputation of the Ministry of Tourism and the Government of India, it added. Taking note of the matter, police have registered a case under sections 318 , 336 , and 340 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita . A senior police officer said that an investigation has been launched and multiple teams have been formed to nab the accused involved in the scam. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
