Dehradun:
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna on Wednesday announced that the state government will reconstruct Kedarnath shrine, with which people of the country have an emotional association.
Bahuguna said the state government will reconstruct the shrine and restore its lost glory.
When told by reporters that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had also offered to reconstruct the temple, he said anyone was welcome to join in the noble mission.
Bahuguna declared a day of state mourning across the state to condole the death of brave soldiers killed in Tuesday's chopper crash near Gaurikund in Rudraprayag district.
He also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of those killed in the crash besides free education to their children if they choose to study in Uttarakhand.
Bahuguna announced a hike in compensation to be given to those who lost their houses in the calamity. He said those whose houses were completely damaged will get Rs two lakh instead of Rs one lakh announced earlier, while those whose houses were partially damaged in the calamity will get Rs one lakh instead of Rs 50,000. Rs 5 lakh will be given in compensation for loss of agricultural land, he said.
Senior IAS officers who have been deputed at Badrinath, Guptkashi, Harshil, Gauchar and Rudraprayag have been provided with one helicopter each for carrying out relief operations in the affected villages.
For providing relief, base camps have been set up at Gauchar, Matli and Joshimath. From these points the relief material will be distributed by air to all the affected villages.
In the next 3 days it will be ensured that there will be no food shortage in any affected village.
In Kumaon region, 2 MI-17, 1 ALH and 2 Civil Helicoptershave been provided to the DM of Bageshwar and Pithoragarh to drop food supplies, medical aid and other relief material to the affected areas. These areas include Kapkot, Badiyakot (district Bageshwar), Darma, Choras, Johar, Pindar, Milam, Ralam, Gurphu, Martoli, Bugdiyar, Munsyari, Sirkha, Sosa, Garbiyang, Gungi , Napalchu, Khutti, Dugtu etc.
PWD has opened 885 roads deploying 364 heavy machinery and employing 5,775 personnel in Joshimath, Uttarkashi, Yamnotri and Guptkashi roads opened.
Electricity has been restored in 2,249 affected hamlets and habitations. Two power stations Galogi and Badrinath-II have been restored and running effectively.
313 doctors along with 4,977 paramedics are deployed in the affected areas and water supply was restored in Badrinath ,Pandukeshwar, Govindghat, Ghangria, Joshimath, Gopeshwar, Gauchar, Rudraprayag, Phata, Agaytsamuni, Srinagar, Uttarkashi and various other places.
More than 2,000 personnel from water supply department are working day and night to restore water supply in all the affected areas. More than 760 water supply schemes have been restored.
