Dehradun, Dec 3 (PTI) BJP leader Col Ajay Kothiyal (retd) has criticised the rescue efforts in the Dharali cloudburst tragedy, alleging that the bodies of 147 people buried under the debris have not been recovered even after four months of the natural calamity.
"If the Army could pull out 10 soldiers buried under the debris in Harshil, then why can't we rescue the 147 people buried in Dharali?" he asked, while participating in a discussion at the 'World Summit on Disaster Management' organised in Dehradun by Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology on November 30.
He alleged that instead of finding ways to rehabilitate people there, officials and scientists, part of the disaster management machinery, are finding excuses to avoid the challenges.
On August 5 this year, a massive cloudburst over Dharali village in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district resulted in devastating floods and mudslides, nearly erasing the village and causing significant loss to life and property.
The opposition Congress said Kothiyal's remarks have exposed the BJP-led state government and demanded an answer from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Meanwhile, the ruling BJP said Kothiyal's statement would be seriously considered, and appropriate action would be taken.
After the disaster, the state government said that one person had died and 68 others had gone missing in the massive flood in Kheergad due to the cloudburst in Dharali.
"So far, not a single spot in Dharali has been worked on. Forget construction, some effort should be made. Houses are buried there; my children's degrees are lying there; (and) my wife's mangalsutra is buried there. How can I abandon that place? We cannot tell our 147 people that we have abandoned them," Colonel Kothiyal said.