Uttarakhand floods: HM Amit Shah speaks to state CM; assures all help

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and assured him of all possible support to deal with the situation arising in the wake of a glacier breaking off and causing flood in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.

In a series of tweets in Hindi, Shah said teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed for rescue and relief operations while additional troops of the force were being airlifted from Delhi.

"I have spoken to Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat ji, DG of ITBP and DG of NDRF regarding the natural disaster in Uttarakhand. All the officers concerned are working on a war footing to secure the people.


"NDRF teams have left for rescue operations. Every possible help will be provided to 'Devbhoomi'," he said.

Shah said the Centre is constantly monitoring the situation in Uttarakhand.

"Some more teams of NDRF are being airlifted from Delhi and sent to Uttarakhand. We are constantly monitoring the situation there," he said.

The home minister said besides the NDRF and the State Disaster Response Force, teams of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) have reached the affected areas. The chief minister is on his way to the affected areas and the Indian Air Force has been alerted, he said.


"I want to assure the people of Uttarakhand that the (Narendra) Modi government is fully behind them in this hour of crisis and will provide all possible help so that people can get out of this crisis as early as possible," the Union home minister said.

Shah, who is in Maharashtra, said Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai is stationed at the control room of the ministry in New Delhi and is personally monitoring the situation.

"I will also reach Delhi in the evening," he said.

Shah said the prime minister, who was in Assam, has spoken to the Uttarakhand chief minister to take stock of the situation.

A home ministry spokesman said four NDRF teams (about 200 personnel) are being airlifted to Dehradun and they will reach Joshimath.

A glacier broke off at Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Sunday, leading to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and causing large-scale devastation in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas.

More than 150 labourers working in a power project are missing, officials said.

Homes along the way were swept away as the waters rushed down the mountainsides in a raging torrent. There were fears of damage in human settlements downstream. Many villages were evacuated and people taken to safer areas.