Uttarakhand rains: CM Pushkar Singh Dhami directs officials to identify 'sensitive' villages, relocate affected people

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday directed the officials to immediately identify "sensitive" villages and relocate the affected people to safer places in view of heavy rains and landslides in parts of the state.

Cloudbursts in Pauri Garhwal’s Toli, Bodh Kedar, and Tehri Garhwa’s Jakhana and Tingarh on Saturday evening caused massive destruction, officials said.

A woman and her daughter died in Toli village after being caught in a landslide. Seventy people from 50 families of Tingarh village had to be shifted to the nearby government inter college in Vinakkal, they said.

The chief minister is constantly in touch with Ghansali MLA Shakti Lal Shah and Tehri District Magistrate Mayur Dixit and giving them necessary instructions, they said.

Dhami has instructed the district administration to immediately identify other sensitive villages in the disaster-affected area besides Tingarh and shift the affected people to a safe place.

Tehri DM Dixit said the families of the two deceased of Toli village have been provided a financial assistance of relief cheques of Rs 4 lakh each and Rs 1.35 lakh for housing damage.

He said action is being taken to streamline the electricity and drinking water arrangements in the disaster affected area and Rs 57,500 have also been given to livestock owners for animal loss.

In view of the situation, all schools from class 1 to 12 as well as Anganwadi centres in Bhilangana area have been closed till Wednesday, the DM said.