Uttar Pradesh forms special cell to trace its missing people in Uttarakhand

Amidst reports of 11 more bodies of those swept away by the flash floods in Uttarakhand recovered from rivers in UP, the state government on Monday constituted a special cell to trace UP pilgrims and tourists reported missing in Uttarakhand following the catastrophic deluge and landslides. Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said people of the state affected by the calamity would be identified through district magistrates and assistance would be extended to them. State government officials have been sent for relief and rescue work in Uttarakhand, he added.

Ashok Kumar Singh, officer on special duty at the Communalism Prevention section of the state home department, has been made nodal officer of the cell. The postal address of the cell is: Communalism Prevention Section, Lal Bahadur Shastri Bhawan, Hazratganj, Lucknow, 226001. Fax numbers are 0522-2238409 and 0522-2238407. Phone numbers are 0522-2239295 and 9454405067. Email osdsnp@yahoo.com. The nodal officer will also coordinate with the authorities in Uttarakhand.

According to principal secretary Home, S M Srivastava, district magistrates will be responsible for collection of information about missing persons, verification, coordination and help to the people. District magistrates will form a cells in their respective districts and depute an officer. The name, phone number, email, fax and coordinates of the officers will be publicised through media. The district level cells will prepare a database of missing persons and persons who have lodged the complaint. They will also record efforts by the authorities to track the missing persons and provide it to officials on daily basis.

Meanwhile, eleven more bodies, including of women and children, were recovered from the rivers in Bijnor and Bulandshahr districts. A circular has been issued to police chiefs to keep tab of the rivers. According to information received at police and relief commissioner's control rooms, over 1,000 persons from Uttar Pradesh were still missing. Special secretary, Revenue, G Srinivas said four camps have been set up by the state government in Haridwar, Rishikesh and Dehradun to take care of people of UP who have been rescued. While around 900 persons are in Haridwar, about 450 are in Rishikesh and 540-odd in Dehradun.

According to the list prepared by the control room on the basis of the complaints received so far, maximum 59 persons missing or trapped in Uttarakhand are from Lucknow, followed by 50 from Amethi, 39 from Kanpur, 30 from Gonda, 26 each from Ghazipur and Pratapgarh, 25 from Bulandshahr, 15 fom Mathura, 14 each from Balrampur and Faizabad, 13 each from Aligarh and Allahabad, 12 each from Meerut and Gorakhpur, 11 each from Ghaziabad, Agra, Sitapur and Deoria and 10 each from Azamgarh and Jhansi among others.

Monday 24 June 2013

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