Narendra Modi to visit Uttarakhand

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is leaving today to visit rain-ravaged areas of Uttarakhand.

"Chief Minister Narendra Modi is leaving for Dehradun this evening to visit the affected areas of Uttarakhand," state spokesperson and Finance Minister Nitin Patel told PTI.

During his stay, Modi will take an aerial tour of the affected areas in a helicopter and visit Rishikesh where the Gujarat government has set up a relief camp for pilgrims from the state stranded there, he said, adding that Modi would return on Sunday morning.

"The Chief Minister will visit relief camp set up by the state government in Rishikesh and inspect the arrangements made for the stranded Gujarati pilgrims," Patel said.

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Government has arranged for special flights from Dehradun to Ahmedabad to bring back the stranded pilgrims.

"The state government is organising special flights from Dehradun to Ahmedabad to bring back those affected by floods, giving preference to women and children," Modi said in his tweet today.

Incidentally, the state government has deputed a five member team in Uttrakhand, headed by Relief Commissioner P K Parmar, to speed up the process of rescuing people stuck there.