With most stranded pilgrims and locals having been evacuated from the Kedarnath-Gaurikund axis, the next big challenge confronting the authorities is the disposal of hundreds of corpses that are littered in and around the holy shrine. Unless that's the done, it would be difficult to ward off the outbreak of deadly diseases in the already ravaged hills.
As an emergency measure, Union home minister had consultations with top holy men, including Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand. The question to them was: would a mass cremation pollute the temple? The seers are learnt to have said it would not if the cremation was done in accordance with the proper rituals and in a wooden pyre.
Accordingly, 150 quintals of wood, sourced from local depots, was transported to Gauchar. The consignment reached there at 3pm on Monday. From there the wood would be moved to Kedarnath by helicopter. Given the amount of wood that's required, it would take a very large number of sorties.
However, nothing could be done on Monday as the weather turned inclement and driving rain prevented choppers from flying. "We hope to complete the mass cremation by Tuesday," said DIG Sanjay Gunjyal, who has tasked with the job of cremating unidentified and unclaimed bodies.
The bottomline is that another day has been lost. The corpses have been lying for days, some since June 16 (eight days ago), out in the sun and rain, and in an advanced stage of decay and decomposition.
Before the cremation, the authorities would be taking video and still pictures of the bodies as well as their DNA samples. This is for their identification which would help the bereaved families to bring closure to the tragedy.
With the state government finally getting some kind of control over the situation, it said that there was no threat of hunger or shelter for the stranded pilgrims in Joshimath and Badrinath, or in Gangotri and Yamunotri. And finally, there was some attention being given to the locals who have suffered the most as their homes and livelihood have been wrecked by the floods.
On Monday, Uttarakhand CM Vijay Bahuguna gave a cold shoulder to the offer of Gujarat CM Narendra Modi to rebuild the Kedarnath shrine with the help of "best technology". Bahuguna told TOI: "Let me say very emphatically, that the entire premises of the temple will be built by the state government. Whosoever wants to do charity and donate to the temple is welcome but it is our responsibility and duty and we would not share that. There is no compromise on Kedarnath."
The humans dimension of the tragedy hasn't diminished even after eight days. With thousands still missing, there are hundreds of desperate relatives here asking one and all if they've seen their loved ones. At Jolly Grant airport, an entire wall is plastered with photographs of the missing.
Coming back to the mass cremation, it is easier said than done as bodies have to be extricated first, as the focus so far been on rescuing the living. Experts say this process will take at least a week if not longer. Bodies are at places buried in rubble 10 feet deep. At Rambara bodies may not be possible to extricate as many of them lie buried under 30 feet of mud.
The Centre and the Uttarakhand government, apart from finalising the standard operating procedures for identification and cremation of the bodies, are working on a centralized missing persons database. According to sources, photographs are likely to be uploaded on the official website of the state governments depending on where they are found.
Even though the weather forecast indicates heavy rain until June 28, the agencies are hopeful that even a limited window will help rescue the remaining people. While 100-150 persons remain to be evacuated from Kedarnath-Gourikund, those stranded at Badrinath do not face a life-threatening situation as they have adequate food and shelter. Union home secretary R K Singh said a day more was needed to rescue all from Harsil.
Meanwhile, the nodal officer appointed by the Centre for coordination between various agencies engaged in disaster relief, V K Duggal, met their senior representatives here on Monday to sort out "operational issues" and "communication gaps". At the meeting, the IMD chief briefed the agencies of the weather forecast for the next two weeks.
Tuesday 25 June 2013
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Uttarakhand-As-epidemic-threat-looms-seers-clear-mass-funeral-at-Kedarnath/articleshow/20751388.cms?
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