Rescue operations that were hampered due to rain and fog on Tuesday morning have resumed in calamity –hit Uttarakhand where the death toll has mounted to 822 with 127 more bodies being recovered from the pilgrimage town of Kedarnath. Security forces have begun cremating decaying corpses lying in the shrine premises so that it does not lead to an outbreak of disease.
Meanwhile, Air Force helicopters have begun sorties to evacuate over 9,000 pilgrims stranded in the state. The focus of rescue operations has now shifted to Badrinath and Harsil where over 1,200 people are believed trapped. The national highway that connects Badrinath to Delhi and Rishikesh has been blocked at several places due to landslide and is hampering rescue efforts.
Special commandos-Garud of the Air force has also been pressed into action in Jungle Chhatti area of Yamunotri, considered to be one of the toughest terrains. Here about 50 people have been said to be trapped. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs are also being used to help scan thick forest areas and locate any people who are stranded.
Meanwhile the Supreme Court today asked the state government to step up rescue operations and evacuate people stranded due to devastation caused by torrential rains. The Apexc court gave the orders while hearing a PIL filed by a lawyer Ajay Bansal.
Adhering to the orders, the Centre and state government have filed Action Taken Report (ATR) in which they have said that all possible efforts are being made by them to rescue stranded people.