Had the district officials of Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand paid heed to the weather forecast made by the meteorological department of Uttarakhand and some of the other weather news agency like Skymet Meteorological Division in India before the fateful night of 16th and 17th June last year, the number of casualties and the devastation would have been lesser than what actually happened. More than 5000 people including pilgrims were killed in cloudburst and flash floods. Monsoon rains also added to the misery in the state.
The monsoon covered substantial parts of the country spreading over 10 states extending from Bihar to Rajasthan between 14th and 16th June, thereby completing onset of monsoon in India, one month before the normal dates.
Here are some steps being taken to keep people safe from natural calamities:
-Number of devotees will be regulated to avoid any confusion in face of an emergency and only 1000 people will be allowed to visit the Shrine daily.
-Bio-metric registration of the devotees will be done before being allowed to embark on the pilgrimage to keep a tab on them
-Arrangements will be in place to airlift passengers and enough vehicles and SDRF personnel will be deployed in landslide prone areas to evacuate stranded people in case of any emergency.
"There is no reason why they should be anxious about their safety." The chief minister said to reporters in Dehradun on Tuesday.
Efforts are being made to repair and build the Char-Dham route well before the start of the annual pilgrimage. The yatra this season is scheduled to begin from 2nd May with the opening of the gates of Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines. It will be followed by the opening of the portals of Kedarnath on 4th and Badrinath on 5th May.
Photo by Samadolfo