Harish Rawat directs SDRF to undertake search operation to find out skeleton remains in Kedar Valley

NEW DELHI: Uttarakhand government has directed State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to undertake search operation to find out skeleton remains of people, if any, in the Kedar Valley. The government has also asked the SDRF to complete the formalities of cremation in case of recovery of human skeletons only after preserving some parts for the DNA test.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Harish Rawat held a meeting with top officials and discussed the plan for undertaking the search operation.

Uttarakhand government has swung into action following the recent spotting of a few skeletons in the Kedar valley. A group of trekkers from Uttarakhand’s Mountaineers and Trekkers Association (MATA) had recently spotted a few human skeleton remains. In 2013, disaster struck the Kedar valley and more than 4000 people lost their lives.

CM Rawat’s direction to SDRF for undertaking search operation in the Kedar valley is politically significant ahead of the assembly elections in the state. BJP has been blaming the Congress government for its alleged failure to properly handle the 2013 Kedarnath tragedy.

SDRF has now planned to undertake the search operation in various phases in view of the changing weather condition in the Kedar valley. The search operations will be undertaken on seven trekking routes.