Uttrakhand govt authorities' go hi-tech to trace the missing

Using special software, mobile numbers; kin still pouring in with desperate pleas for help

Uttrakhand government authorities are using mobile phone call details and a special software to accurately re-estimate the number of missing people.

The software, designed by International Business Machines, is probably being used for the first time on such a scale.

The government so far has received 25,000 requests to trace the missing people. Missing person reports are continuously pouring in from different sources such as Facebook, phone calls, fax, states and police. Officials are regularly updating their systems with a fresh piece of information.

"This number of missing people can certainly not be true because thousands have been evacuated and people have filed multiple complaints with different authorities," the official added.

"We are de-duplicating the data with the help of this special software. The result has already started to show," said Ajay Pradyot, secretary in-charge of the missing cell.

"Now, the staggering number of 25,000 missing people has drastically come down to somewhere close to 4,000 people," Pradyot, who is known for his computer prowess among fellow bureaucrats, said.

The actual figure would help the government disburse compensation and complete other formalities.The officials said with this reduced number, their focus has become much clearer. As a result, Pradyot claimed, 22 missing people have already been found.

That apart, a bunch of state government employees are busy making phone calls to each one of those who may have travelled to the hills before the tragedy struck on June 16.

Given the adverse circumstances and inclement weather, the state authorities believe this could be the only possible way to locate thousands of people, who are reported missing in the calamity.

"Whether they have been evacuated or not, we are trying to reach them through phone calls. If the phone number is answered, we assume the person and his family are safe," a high-ranking government official, supervising the rescue operations, said.

"Likewise, we are assuming that villagers have cell phones and they are connected. If they still cannot be reached, they are presumably dead. It's now the only way to ascertain whether the person was actually present in the Char Dham area," the official added.

Kin of the missing people are still swarming outside the missing cell office Dehradun.

Many have been campaigning there for days to find clues about their loved ones and the crowd is swelling with each passing day. Since the devastation, telephones have never stopped ringing.