Administration acquires hotel and 14 rooms for flood-affected families in Dehradun

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun

The Dehradun district administration acquired Hotel Shivalik in Dharampur along with 15 rooms in a local guest house to serve as temporary relief shelters after continuous heavy rainfall caused a dangerous rise in water levels in low-lying residential areas near the Rispana bridge. The rising waters have posed a significant threat to public safety, prompting officials to invoke multiple provisions of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, to ensure swift evacuation and protection of affected residents.

The Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal stated that the acquired facilities will operate 24×7, providing safe accommodation, meals, drinking water and other essential services at government-approved rates, with arrangements for meals managed by the administration. Besides this, an open ground has been requisitioned for keeping livestock belonging to displaced families. Residents living along the Rispana riverbank will be shifted to the guest house or hotel as needed.

The DM said that more accommodation space will be acquired if necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of all affected residents. The DM informed that the heavy rainfall in the past 24 hours caused waterlogging in 91 locations across the city.

Landslides have been reported near Guniyala village, prompting immediate action from the public works, Forest department and Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL). Several trees have fallen in Purkul Rajpur Road, Ishwar Vihar, Canal Road, Malik Chowk, Brahmanwala and Dhoran and clearance work is underway, He said that 12 national highways and 19 State highways remained open, while 14 of 346 rural roads have been blocked due to rainfall, with restoration efforts in progress.

The DM said that all the departments concerned have been directed to remain alert and ensure they have all the resources to tackle any emergency situation.