Uttarakhand cloudburst: Situation completely under control, assures Harish Rawat

Dehradun: Asserting that the situation was now under control and that there was no cause to panic, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat on Saturday said that the death toll following the cloudbursts in the state stood at 17 and that operations were underway to locate the missing 15 people. Speaking to ANI here, Rawat said that the state government is completely mobilised to ensure that aid was provide to those affected by the natural calamity, adding that round the clock vigil was being maintained. "We are using whatever facilities at our disposal to work swiftly and effectively. Choppers are ready, medical teams have been deployed. Long distance communication is a bit of an issue and we have spoken to the Centre for licenses for satellite phone. We have asked for free of cost, free of service charge wireless license," Rawat said. Talking about the death toll and the damages from the cloudburst, the Chief Minister said that so far 17 people have lost their lives and that 15 people are still missing. He also announced a compensation of Rs. 2 lakh each to families of victims and said that 179 people have been affected as their homes have been destroyed. Rawat stated that the state government will seek help from the Centre if needed and called on the people to maintain calm. "I request that people should not be in fear and be assured that they will be safe. We will take care and are duty-bound to protect the people," Rawat said. Earlier, Home Minister Rajnath Singh met Rawat and discussed about the course of action in the state in view of the calamity. "I am deeply pained at loss of precious lives in Uttarakhand due to flash floods. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. NDRF teams have been rushed to the areas affected by could burst in Uttarakhand. Additional teams of NDRF are also put on alert," Singh said in series of tweets. "Spoke to CM U'khand Shri Harish Rawat regarding the situation post the cloud burst in the state. Centre is providing all possible assistance," he added.