Uttarakhand: Over 3 years after floods, deluge of anger in hills

DEHRADUN: Over three years after flash floods destroyed homes, killed thousands and brought life to a standstill in the temple town of Kedarnath, the first assembly polls since the disaster will be about rehabilitation, reconstruction and relief.


Many villages around the Kedarnath shrine which still await compensation and infrastructure repair have in recent times erupted in protests. Scores missing in the deluge remain untraced. The economy , dependent on religious tourism, is picking up but way too slowly , locals say.

So, will voters again repose faith in MLA Shaila Rani Rawat, who rebelled against Congress and is contesting on a BJP ticket? Or will they bet on Congress nominee, journalist-turned-neta Manoj Rawat? There are no easy answers.

Jagmohan Singh Jangwal of Bhatwadi village says: “People are dissatisfied. Relief projects aren't completed. The suspension bridge on the Mandakini at Chandrapuri was the only link to villages like Pati, Ryasu, Arkund and Kund.

Three years have gone by since it was swept away .Still a new bridge is nowhere in sight. People use a trolley to cross the river.“

In the town, projects are stuck because there are no funds. These include construction of safety and flood-protection walls, bus terminals and reconstruction of shops. There's anger because the government hasn't fulfilled its assurance to provide jobs to families of the deceased.

The constituency has 82,571 voters, much of the population concentrated in villages around the shrine town. The disaster scarred almost every family here. Some lost their kin, others their homes, many their livelihood. The potent mix of grief and anger that they harbour is bound to show in the polls.

Shaila Rani Rawat blames the Congress for the unfulfilled promises. She quit the party with eight other MLAs last year after revolting against CM Harish Rawat. “I met the CM several times and requested him to hasten the rehabilitation work. My requests fell on deaf ears. For over two years, the area was ignored, after which I was forced to rebel and join the BJP ,“ she says.

Manoj Rawat rubbishes the charges.“Only because of the hard work and com mitment of the Congress government the number of pilgrims to the Char Dham shrines touched 15 lakh this year. Over 3 lakh visited Kedarnath and they lauded the efforts to revive the yatra,“ he insists.