Centre’s Inter-Ministerial Team Praises Uttarakhand’s Relief Efforts During Monsoon Disasters
Dehradun. An Inter-Ministerial Team of the Government of India, which visited disaster-affected areas of Uttarakhand, met Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the Secretariat on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister said that Uttarakhand is an extremely disaster-prone state. Every monsoon season, the state faces serious challenges such as heavy rainfall, landslides, floods, and waterlogging. He emphasized the need for national-level institutions to work together in developing a more advanced forecasting system to minimize the damage caused by landslides. CM Dhami pointed out that this year, due to excessive rainfall, the state has suffered extensive losses, including both human casualties and large-scale damage to infrastructure.
He added that cloudbursts and landslides in hilly regions cause permanent damage to land, making it unsuitable for future farming or construction activities. An effective action plan is needed to address this issue.
The Inter-Ministerial Team had conducted ground inspections in several disaster-affected districts, including Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Pauri Garhwal, Chamoli, Bageshwar, and Nainital. The team was led by R. Prasanna, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs, and included Anu Secretary Sher Bahadur, Superintendent Engineer Sudhir Kumar, Deputy Director Vikas Sachan, Chief Engineer Pankaj Singh, and Director Dr. Virendra Singh.
The team appreciated the relief and rehabilitation measures taken by the state government, mentioning that arrangements for food, shelter, healthcare, and other essential facilities in relief camps were satisfactory.
The central officials also praised the state government’s initiative of providing an immediate assistance of ₹5 lakh to the families of deceased victims and those whose houses were completely damaged. They also commended the unique initiative of maintaining complete data of pregnant women at the district level and ensuring their health and safe delivery through continuous monitoring, suggesting that this model should be replicated in other states.
The team further highlighted that due to landslides and floods, a large amount of silt has accumulated in rivers, raising water levels and posing future risks, which was brought to their attention during field visits.
On this occasion, Chief Secretary Anand Bardhan, Additional Chief Secretary R.K. Sudhanshu, Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman, and Additional CEO of the State Disaster Management Authority Anand Swaroop were also present.
