The Uttarakhand government has formed a three-member committee to assess the damage caused by the recent disaster in Uttarkashi’s Dharali.
The panel includes Revenue Secretary Surendra Pandey, Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Authority CEO Ashish Chauhan, and Additional Finance Secretary Himanshu Khurana. It will carry out a detailed survey of losses to houses, land, farms, and infrastructure in the affected region.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the committee will submit its preliminary report within a week.
The panel will draft a long-term action plan aimed at safeguarding Dharali’s residents and securing sustainable livelihoods for the community in the years ahead.
The formation of the committee comes as rescue and relief efforts in Dharali enter their final stages. The village was hit by a devastating mudslide and flash floods on Tuesday, which tore through Dharali bazar, razing hotels and homestays and sweeping away all that came in its way, leaving behind a trail of destruction.
According to the latest figures, five deaths have been confirmed and 100 people remain missing, as per an Indian Army release on August 8.
Over the past five days, helicopters from the Indian Air Force and the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Authority have made 257 sorties, airlifting 1,126 stranded residents and tourists to safer locations.
“A large number of local residents as well as devotees from other states stranded in the disaster-affected area of Dharali have been evacuated safely by the relief and rescue teams,” Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said in a social media post.
Work on a Bailey bridge at Limchigad near Gangnani is continuing on a war footing to restore road connectivity. The Gangotri highway remains blocked or breached at multiple points, hampering the transport of advanced search equipment needed to locate the missing under tonnes of debris. Electricity and mobile networks are gradually being restored, while community kitchens are delivering food, ration, emergency lights, clothes, and other essential supplies to affected families.
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