5360 missing in Uttarakhand, fresh rains add to woes

The number of missing in last month's floods and landslides has been put at 5360 by the Uttarakhand government which today announced that pilgrimage to the three dhaams Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri will resume by September 30.
Meanwhile, fresh rains pounded several parts of the state and claimed 11 lives.
Seven members of a family were killed when the ceiling of their house collapsed in Dhikauna village in Chamoli district.
The incident took place in the wee hours when debris from the hillside including rocks and boulders hit the house under the impact of heavy overnight rains, Chamoli ADM Sanjay Kumar said.

In another incident, four persons were killed when a machine engaged in repairing a road fell into a ditch in Garhwal.
Meanwhile, the number of persons who went missing after the tragedy has risen to 5360 out of which 4560 are from states other than Uttarakhand and 800 from the hill state, the latest official estimate issued by the state government said.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna earlier announced that pilgrimage to Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines will resume by September 30.
Bahuguna, who visited Guptkashi in Rudraprayag district, assured the flood-affected families that pilgrimage to the three dhams will resume by September 30 by which time the BRO hopes to restore the routes to these Himalayan shrines.

In Delhi, Road Minister Oscar Fernandes told PTI that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways is working towards re-linking the state with the rest of the country and is hopeful of providing full connectivity to the Kedarnath shrine by September.
"The restoration work has started but there are stretches where the entire road has been washed out, where we have to build new roads. This may go beyond one or two months," he said.