AP announces Rs 50 cr fund for Uttarakhand

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday announced a Rs 50-crore fund for Uttarakhand, recently battered by heavy floods. Of this, Rs 10 crore will be given for rescue and relief works undertaken by the Uttarakhand government and the rest will be spent through the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) for 'pilgrim amenities complexes' at Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri costing Rs 10 crore each, the chief minister's office said.

The announcement came after the state government and, particularly the chief minister, were criticised by the Opposition parties of not doing enough in extending adequate help in bringing the Chardham pilgrims back home to AP.

The state government  also had to face some embarrassing moments when the MPs and the leaders of the Congress and the TDP came to blows at Dehradun while trying to persuade the same group of  pilgrims to board the special planes arranged separately.

Over 3,000 pilgrims were estimated to have been on Chardham pilgrimage when flash floods and mud slides struck Kedarnath and other shrines earlier this month.

While most of these people returned via special trains and a special flights arranged by the government among others, the whereabouts of a couple of hundred are still to be found, according to official reports.  

Meanwhile, the chief minister has announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of pilgrims, who have lost their lives.

This is in addition to the financial assistance announced by the Centre and other agencies, a statement said.