Gauchar/Dehradun: Thirteen days after the Uttarakhand disaster, rescue workers were on Friday near the end of their mammoth mission with Harsil sector totally evacuated and they made a final push in Badrinath where around 1,400 people were still stranded.
With 3,000 people still reported missing in the floods and landslides after heavy rains pounded the hill state on June 15, visiting Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh sent a word of comfort that his troops and IAF personnel will continue their operations till the last person is evacuated.
"Our endeavour is to locate all our citizens, wherever they are, and get them out," Gen Singh told reporters in Gauchar after his interaction with his officers and men.
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Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who was on a second visit to Dehradun since the disaster struck the state, said all out efforts will be made in the multi-agency operations to locate those who are still trapped in the debris and the missing.
"The Air Force will deploy more MI-17 helicopters to evacuate all people in war footing. The helicopters fleet will be stationed in Uttarakhand for 15 more days," he told reporters.
S. Sasidhar Reddy, Vice Chairman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said so far 1,04,095 people have been rescued. "But 1,400 people in Badrinath are yet to be rescued," he told reporters in Delhi.
During a hearing on a PIL in the Supreme Court, the Uttarakhand government said rescue operations will be over by Saturday.
It said about 1,000 pilgrims are waiting to be evacuated in the pilgrim town of Badrinath but they were in a safe condition and there is no shortage of water and food materials.
Mass cremation of bodies in Kedarnath, the worst-affected in the flood fury, is also on, as authorities are racing against time to minimise risks of epidemic outbreak.
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With a large number of people still missing, and their bodies feared trapped under layers of debris and slush in the flood-hit state, the focus now will be on finding them, according to Shinde. He said priority would be given to evacuate the sick, old and disabled people, along with women, a large number of whom are stranded in the Badrinath area.
State government officials said that with the weather improving, 17 helicopters took off to rescue an estimated 1,237 people stuck at different places in the hill state, with the Harshil sector totally cleared of pilgrims. About 3,000 people are still reported missing, they said.
The focus now is on Badrinath Dham area, where majority of the pilgrims are now stranded, they said.
Authorities faced anxious moments when a Pawan Hans helicopter, engaged in rescue operations made an emergency landing at Harsil, two days after an IAF Mi17 rescue chopper crashed killing all its 20 occupants. No casualties were reported in the incident.
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"The aircraft landed heavily at Harsil helipad and was damaged in the process," Wing Commander (Rtd) R.S. Brar said. However, everyone on board the aircraft is safe, he said. On June 21, a private helicopter that was being used for rescue operations had crashed. The pilot, though, was rescued.
A clear picture also emerged today on the extent of devastation in the hill state.
"Out of the total 22,000 villages in the state, 2,375 have been affected," Reddy said.
"Out of them, 1,636 have been connected so far while the rest 739 are yet to be connected," he added.
Gen Singh, who is on a day-long visit to affected areas, said he had asked his commanders to launch relief operations in ‘very, very difficult conditions’ in a proactive manner, without waiting for any requisition from authorities. "We are getting information that there may still be some survivors in certain areas. Like I am told, yesterday we had an input that in north of Badrinath there were some people, 40 of them. We had launched sorties yesterday but couldn't detect them. We will be doing it again, if the weather permits" he added.
Next: All out efforts for rescue of those trapped in U'khand: Shinde

All out efforts for rescue of those trapped in U'khand: Shinde
Dehradun: All out efforts will be made to find out those who are still trapped in the debris and those who continue to be missing after the Uttarakhand rains and floods disaster, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Friday.
Addressing a press conference after taking stock of the rescue and relief works here, Shinde said it was still not known how many people continued to be trapped under the debris following the rains fury.
"We have to find out how many are still trapped under the debris," he said, accompanied by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, NDMA Vice Chairman M Sashidhar Reddy and other senior officials.
The Home Minister said many people continue to be stranded in Badrinath and some other locations and more helicopters will be deployed to rescue all those who have not been evacuated yet.
"The Air Force will deploy more MI-17 helicopters to evacuate all people in war footing. The helicopters fleet will be stationed in Uttarakhand for 15 more days," he said.
Shinde said priority will be given to rescue stranded women and those who are ill, aged, or disabled and subsequently others will be evacuated. He assured all help for the relief and rehabilitation of the locals whose houses and livelihoods were washed away in the deluge.
The Home Minister said the Border Roads Organisation would make all out efforts for reopening of all disrupted road networks in the hill state and once the weather clears, the works will continue in 'war-footing'.
"LPG cylinders, Kerosene oil, food-grains and all other essential commodities will be made available for the locals," he said and requested the state government to provide a detailed list of requirements to the Centre.
The Home Minister said a team of Union Health Ministry officials has reached Uttarakhand to take stock of the health conditions of the people and steps would be taken to prevent break out of an epidemic in the state.
Shinde also said special emphasise will be given for implementing a comprehensive plan for tourism so that the places of tourists attraction and religious sites are protected from natural disaster in the future.
Admitting there was an initial lack of coordination among the agencies involved in rescue operations, Shinde said after June 21 the exercise has picked up momentum and praised the security personnel who rescued over one lakh pilgrims stranded across the state despite difficult weather conditions.