Uttarakhand flood: PM Manmohan Singh assures Vijay Bahuguna of all assistance

NEW DELHI: With flood situation in Uttarakhand remaining grim, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today assured Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna of all assistance in rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit state.

Singh, who spoke to the Chief Minister this evening, also inquired about the flood situation in the state.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi spoke to Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Bahuguna and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, seeking "timely and prompt" relief measures for flood-affected people in the two states.

The Prime Minister has also directed all agencies of the Union Government to assist in rescue and relief operations in flood affected areas of the state.

"The Prime Minister shared the anguish and distress of the affected people of Uttarakhand who see their homes facing the ravages of floods...assistance was already being provided by the Army and Air Force to rescue stranded people and to provide relief," a release from the PMO said.

Gandhi enquired from Shinde, Singh and Bahuguna about the situation arising out of the flood caused by heavy monsoon rains and cloudbursts, AICC's Communication Department in-charge Ajay Maken said in a release.

"The Congress President also asked the Chief Ministers to ensure that the arrangements for communication and travel is made for the stranded tourists and visitors from other states," Maken said.

As many as 71,440 Char Dham yatra pilgrims remained stranded in Uttarakhand, while 1,700 people are stuck in Himachal Pradesh.