IAF choppers on standby for Uttarakhand

NEW DELHI: As heavy rains lashed Uttarakhand forcing a halt to the Char Dham yatra and with more rains forecast, the authorities have decided not to allow tourists and pilgrims to Gaurikund, Badrinath, Kedarnath and Gangotri. As a precautionary measure, two heavy-duty Mi-17 helicopters will be stationed in Dharchula and Gauchar till July 25.

These were among the decisions which were taken on Thursday at a meeting, chaired by cabinet secretary Ajith Seth, on preparedness for any crisis in the hill state.

Sources said while defence ministry had kept Mi-17 choppers ready in Delhi for any evacuation, the Uttarakhand government wanted the helicopters to be deployed in the state considering the unpredictable weather conditions.

Officials said 17 more choppers had been kept on standby for evacuation duty. While top officials from the Central government attended the meeting, the state chief secretary participated through video conferencing.

Sources said the met department has also been asked to give quick updates on weather forecast so that preventive steps could be taken. "Border Roads Organization (BRO) has been asked to keep everything ready to restore roads which may get washed away or impacted due to landslides," an official said.

Uttarkhand chief secretary said Yoga guru Ramdev and some students, who were caught in bad weather, had reached Uttarkashi.

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