Situation in Uttarakhand better now: Chidambaram

June 19, 2013 11:43

The Congress Core group meets to discuss Food Security Bill. However, Finance Minister P Chidambaram says the Core group meeting confined only to the flood situation in Uttarakhand. He said the situation in Uttarakhand was better than yesterday.

Over 48 hours after floods, cloudbursts and landslides battered Uttarakhand, there was no official assessment on the number of casualties, while unofficial estimates indicated the death toll might rise "manifold".

While the official death toll was 54 on Tuesday evening, the Press Trust of India put it at 102. In Kedarnath alone, reports of 50 dead and 6000 stranded, though 800 tourists were rescued from Kedarnath. Around 200 relief camps have been set for those stranded. Around 125 people were rescued from Guptkashi in Rudraprayag yesterday and 2500 pilgrims in 100 vehicles on the Pauri-Kotdaar highway. Two army and 10 private helicopters were working in Rudraprayag alone, while 14 helicopters were pressed into service in the affected area of Dehradun. Incessant rains and landslides have hampered rescue operations.

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