Latest news with #PrashantArya
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Rs 5 lakh assistance cheques distributed to affected families in Uttarakhand
State authorities share a meal with affected people NEW DELHI: Disaster-affected families in Uttarakhand's Dharlai village are being given financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each, starting Monday. District Magistrate Prashant Arya and local MLA Suresh Chauhan visited Dharali village on Monday and distributed assistance cheques to the disaster-hit families. A total of 98 cheques for the affected people of Dharali were sent for on-the-spot distribution. The cheque distribution process is still ongoing. At the relief camps set up by the administration, the officials shared a meal with the affected people. They assured that the government and administration stood firmly with the victims in the time of distress. The officials further said that every possible step was being taken to assist the disaster victims and that efforts were being made to restore normal life in the affected area. Arrangements for accommodation, food, and medical assistance have been made at the relief camps. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
India Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Assured Rs 5 lakh, got Rs 5,000: Uttarkashi families protest over 'relief' cheques
Days after a flash flood wreaked havoc in Dharali village of Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand, residents have refused government cheques of Rs 5,000 each, calling the amount 'inadequate' in the face of the massive destruction caused by the cheques, described by authorities as "immediate relief", were distributed to affected families in Dharali and Harshil. However, the gesture triggered protests, with villagers accusing the Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami-led government of downplaying the scale of their District Magistrate Prashant Arya defended the move, saying the Rs 5,000 was only an interim measure. "After evaluating the entire loss and preparing a detailed report, proper compensation will be given," he said. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for those whose houses were completely destroyed, and the same amount for families of those killed in the disaster. A three-member committee, headed by the Revenue Secretary, has been tasked with preparing a rehabilitation and livelihood revival plan, with a preliminary report due within a rescue efforts continued for the fifth day on Saturday, with helicopters evacuating stranded residents and dropping food packets to remote areas. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) teams, assisted by a dog squad and thermal imaging equipment, scoured the rubble in Dharali bazar, where a mudslide on Tuesday levelled hotels, homestays, and to officials, the tragedy has left five confirmed dead, two bodies recovered, and 49 people missing. According to official data, more than 1,000 people have been evacuated so far from parts of the disaster-hit Dharali area that are still cut off. The administration is also surveying damage to homes, farms, and other property to process further compensation."The priority of the government is to evacuate all trapped people, which is nearly complete," Dhami had said, adding that electricity, mobile networks, and road access are being restored, while community kitchens supply food, clothing, and essential goods to survivors.- EndsMust Watch
News18
6 days ago
- General
- News18
DM monitors arrangments made for those affected in Uttarkashi disaster
Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India], August 9 (ANI): Uttarkashi District Magistrate Prashant Arya has been continuously camping in disaster-affected areas of Dharali Harsil in Uttarkashi after devastation caused by the flash view of the administrative readiness, the District Magistrate is personally monitoring the facilities and assistance provided to the affected by the concerned officials. The District Magistrate is constantly inspecting the relief camps set up in the disaster-affected area and is also constantly reviewing the availability of basic facilities like food, drinking water, and medical care to the disaster-affected people are being evacuated from Harsil Dharali and transported to Matali and Chinyalisaur via helicopter, from where the work of reaching everyone to their destinations is also going on at a rapid District Magistrate has asked the concerned departments to assess the damage caused by the disaster and submit a report as soon as possible. This will include a detailed description of the damage caused to crops, houses and public District Magistrate himself has taken charge of the relief and rescue work in the Harsil Dharali District Magistrate said that the administration is working on a war footing to ensure all arrangements, including electricity, water, health, roads and this difficult time, the administration is standing with the affected people and all necessary steps are being taken to help them. He has appealed to the people to maintain patience and cooperate with the 'Operation Dharali,' the Indian Army has been victorious in its efforts to restore mobile and internet connectivity in Uttarakhand's Army managed to repair an optical fibre cable, meant for Army communication, which was damaged by flash signalers carried out the repair work amidst ongoing rescue operations in Dharali, ensuring communication links for the a parallel effort, bridges damaged by the floods were repaired at night on Friday near Limchigad, close to Harsil, despite continuing rain. The repair work was carried out jointly by Army personnel and the civil administration to restore connectivity in the affected devastation caused by the cloudburst, the rescue operations are underway with the disaster response forces trying to extricate those stranded in Uttarakhand's least five people have been reported dead, and 50 are still missing. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) has been actively involved in the rescue operations, utilising state-of-the-art equipment, including a victim locating camera and thermal imaging squads have been deployed alongside rescue personnel to search for stranded mobile network was restored in the disaster-hit Harsil valley. However, the landslides have disrupted the Char Dham Yatra. (ANI)
Al Jazeera
06-08-2025
- Climate
- Al Jazeera
India's flood rescue efforts hampered by landslides, blocked roads
Rescue workers are battling heavy rain and blocked roads after at least four people were killed and dozens reported missing after flash floods and landslides swept through parts of India's northern Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. The flood struck Dharali, a village in Uttarkashi district and a popular stop on the way to the Hindu pilgrimage town of Gangotri, after a sudden surge of muddy water mixed with debris engulfed the valley on Tuesday. The flooding was triggered by intense monsoon rains, which continued to lash the region into Wednesday, complicating rescue efforts. Al Jazeera understands that among the missing are at least eight soldiers from a nearby army base, while more than 190 people have been rescued. Telephone lines remain damaged, and communication with the affected area is limited. Roads leading to the village have either collapsed or been blocked by large boulders, according to local official Prashant Arya. 'A large part of the village is engulfed in mud,' he told the news agency Reuters. 'Some areas are covered up to 15 metres deep – enough to bury entire buildings.' The Indian army said it is leading efforts to find approximately 50 people still unaccounted for. Mohsen Shahedi of the National Disaster Response Force said 'the search for the missing is continuing'. The army's central command confirmed that 'additional military columns' have been deployed, along with tracker dogs, drones and heavy earthmoving equipment. Military helicopters are delivering supplies, including medical aid, and evacuating those stranded. Mobile and electricity towers were swept away by the floodwaters, forcing authorities to issue satellite phones to rescue teams. Television footage showed torrents of dark, debris-filled water crashing through Dharali, sweeping away buildings and roads as residents fled for their lives. A video shared by the office of Uttarakhand's chief minister showed parts of the village buried under mud. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami confirmed that about 130 people had been rescued by Tuesday night, and that helicopters were ready to deliver relief supplies to remote areas cut off by the flooding. 'People didn't understand what was happening. The floodwaters hit them in 15 seconds,' Suman Semwal told The Indian Express, recounting how her father, watching from a neighbouring village upstream, saw the flood hit with a 'thud' and 'unimaginable magnitude'. The Indian Meteorological Department said that water levels in all major rivers in Uttarakhand had risen above the danger mark. 'Residents have been relocated to higher ground due to rising water levels caused by the incessant rains,' the Indian Army said in a statement. Hydrologist Manish Shrestha said 270mm of rainfall recorded in 24 hours qualifies as an 'extreme event', particularly dangerous in mountainous regions where such rainfall has a 'more concentrated' impact. Shrestha, from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Nepal, added that such intense rainfall events are becoming more frequent and could be linked to the climate crisis.
Yahoo
06-08-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
India flash floods: Dozens believed to be trapped under rubble as at least 11 soldiers reported missing
Rescue teams are working to find dozens of missing people after flash floods struck a Himalayan village in northern India. At least four people have been killed and buildings swept away after intense rains rushed down narrow mountains into Dharali, a mountain village in Uttarakhand state, on Tuesday. Local official Prashant Arya said that around "a dozen hotels have been washed away and several shops have collapsed". Conditions 'extremely challenging' - defence spokesperson Four bodies have been recovered as of Wednesday, as army and disaster force teams were still searching for dozens believed to be trapped under rubble. Dilip Singh, a disaster management official, said the "search for others is still under way" but added that adverse conditions, damaged roads and rough terrain were hampering rescue efforts. Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand state, told the ANI news agency that around 130 people were rescued by Tuesday night. He added that army helicopters were on standby to provide supplies to those stranded. Meanwhile, at least 11 army soldiers were reported missing from a camp in nearby Harsil after the floods. Defence spokesperson Lt Col Manish Srivastava said that the "conditions are extremely challenging, but our teams are staying put". Village 'wiped out,' says local politician Lokendra Bisht, a local politician who runs a homestay in the area, told the Associated Press that the flood waters came so fast that "there was nothing anyone could do". He added: "The whole of Dharali village was wiped out." Geologist SP Sati also told the press agency that the village "sits on a ticking time bomb" and "is in a highly fragile zone". Read more from Sky News: Sudden and intense downpours - known as cloudbursts - have become increasingly common in Uttarakhand state. The Himalayan region, in India's far north, bordering Nepal and China, is already prone to flooding and landslides in the monsoon season. Experts say cloudbursts have increased in recent years, partly due to climate change, while damage from the storms also has increased because of unplanned development in mountain regions. Dharali experienced similar flooding in 1864, in 2013 - when more than 6,000 people died across northern India after a cloudburst event - and in 2014.
