PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
The Uttarkashi district administration, police and various rescue agencies have further intensified the search operation for the female trekker, Babita Pandey, who had gone missing in the Dayara Bugyal trekking route on May 29 night. The teams have been carrying out search operations sans a break in the inaccessible mountainous areas, but the woman remains untraced even on the sixth day. With all earlier efforts having gone in vain, a special deep drive team has been deployed at the behest of the district magistrate, which would search all possible lakes and water bodies spread across the meadow.
Notably, since receiving reports of the female trekker’s disappearance, teams from police, SDRF, NDRF, forest department, revenue department, ITBP, Army and district disaster management’s Quick Response Team have remained engaged in the search operation. Drones and dog squads are also being used during the operation. “Extensive searches have been conducted in various possible routes, forests, ravines and high-altitude areas over the past few days, but the female trekker remains elusive till now,” shared a senior police officer.
Police further said that the superintendent of police, Kamlesh Upadhyay has been monitoring the operation. Under her direction, Uttarkashi deputy superintendent of police Janak Singh Panwar has been camping in the Dayara Bugyal trek route for the past several days, leading and monitoring the search. The local villagers and porters have also come forward to assist the multiple teams deployed to trace and rescue the woman.
Police further said that on the direction of the district magistrate, Prashant Arya, a six-member deep search team, formed to further intensify the search, has started their search operation on Wednesday in lakes, ponds and other water bodies of the area. “The team is conducting thorough searches in areas where normal search operation is rarely carried out,” a senior district administration officer said, adding that they are going all-out to find the missing trekker, despite the tough geographical conditions and challenging weather. “This is one of the biggest search and rescue operations in the district in recent years,” claimed a senior officer who is monitoring the operation.
The administration hopes that the special search teams, deployed in the bugyal, would find some clues which would lead to a breakthrough.
