Kolkata: The West Bengal government today brought 101 rescued pilgrims and trekkers from flood-hit Uttarakhand in an Air India chartered flight. The arrangement was only for the elderly and ailing, said Disaster Management Joint Secretary Amit Chowdhury.
Planning Minister Rachhpal Singh, too, returned with the passengers.
"Apart from Kolkata, there were people from Bankura, Asansol, Durgapur and Jalpaiguri on the flight," Chowdhury said. Buses and cars had been arranged to help the rescued tourists reach their homes. "To date, we have rescued about 1400 people. About 60-70 of them are still waiting at Haridwar though. We have arranged for their food and stay, and a special coach attached to a superfast train will bring them in tomorrow," he said.
The returnees, Debashish Pal and his brother Surojit from Howrah who had gone for trekking, said, "On our way to Kailash, we got stuck at the Darma Valley. A bridge had broken and a huge mountain of boulders lay on our way. When we reached there, we saw bolders having engulfed an area of around 500 metre radius.
28/06/13 Arshad Ali/Indian Express
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Planning Minister Rachhpal Singh, too, returned with the passengers.
"Apart from Kolkata, there were people from Bankura, Asansol, Durgapur and Jalpaiguri on the flight," Chowdhury said. Buses and cars had been arranged to help the rescued tourists reach their homes. "To date, we have rescued about 1400 people. About 60-70 of them are still waiting at Haridwar though. We have arranged for their food and stay, and a special coach attached to a superfast train will bring them in tomorrow," he said.
The returnees, Debashish Pal and his brother Surojit from Howrah who had gone for trekking, said, "On our way to Kailash, we got stuck at the Darma Valley. A bridge had broken and a huge mountain of boulders lay on our way. When we reached there, we saw bolders having engulfed an area of around 500 metre radius.
28/06/13 Arshad Ali/Indian Express
