Rain halts relief operations in calamity-hit Uttarakhand

July 08, 2013 09:24

Fresh spell of rains on Sunday halted helicopter operations to ferry rations to remote Uttarakhand districts reeling under shortage of foodgrains even as wet weather put brakes on the task of cremation of bodies in Kedarnath.

The Badrinath highway was also closed for three hours due to incessant rains leaving 500 vehicles, including many carrying relief, stranded. However, the highway was later opened for traffic.

"Chopper operations to drop relief material have been stopped due to rains. Cremation of bodies in Kedarnath also could not be taken up due to rains," IG Ram Meena said.

As the network of major roads in these districts are still damaged making it impossible for the administration to transport trucks carrying relief material to affected villages especially the ones totally cut off, the state government was thinking of deploying weather resistant choppers to ensure food supplies to villages facing foodgrain shortage, an official said.

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