BJP leader accuses Disaster Management department of negligence in Uttarkashi disaster

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ravindra Jugran has accused the Disaster Management department of negligence and irresponsible functioning over the recent disaster in Uttarkashi’s Dharali, Sukhitop and Harsil, which caused significant loss of life and property. He alleged that the department has become involved in corruption and mismanagement and said he will soon submit a detailed report to the chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on complaints he had filed earlier that have seen no action. 

Jugran referred to a news report published four days ago stating that the Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), an ISRO institute, had sent a report a year ago to the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) warning about artificial lakes in the upper regions of Dharali and Harsil that could trigger a disaster.

\He questioned why the department denied receiving such a warning and did not conduct a site inspection if the report had been received. He said that in 2019, Ajay Gautam had filed a petition in the High Court about the formation of artificial lakes near Gangotri Glacier and the court had directed the department to conduct regular surveys of the area. He claimed these directions were not followed and that ignoring the IIRS warning contributed to the current loss in Uttarkashi.

Jugran stated that the department should have conducted a field survey, GIS mapping and satellite image comparisons after receiving the IIRS report. He said that for the past five years, the department’s GIS lab has not updated data due to the absence of experienced personnel. He added that large-scale corruption has affected the department’s functioning. He demanded that the government should identify all responsible officials who ignored the IIRS warning, take action against them and file legal cases for the loss caused to the State.