BJP accuses U'khand govt of failing in relief work

Accusing the state government of failing to provide succour to disaster-hit people in Uttarakhand, opposition BJP today demanded imposition of President's Rule in the state and handing over relief and rehabilitation work in affected areas to the Army.
Former Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank and Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Ajay Bhatt held separate press conferences here and charged the Bahuguna government with total failure in the face of one of the worst crises to have hit the state in recent years.
"This is a visionless, missionless and insensitive government which has lost the moral authority to govern. We demand immediate dismissal of the government and imposition of President's Rule in Uttarakhand till things get back to normal," Nishank told reporters at the party office here.

The BJP leader slammed the government for shying away from issuing a white paper on the calamity and said, the whole country wants an explanation on the manner in which it handled the crisis.
"Disaster management mechanism of the state government has totally failed in dealing with situation post the mid-June calamity with affected people in scores of villages still crying for help. Many villages are still inaccessible despite more than two months since the tragedy," Nishank said.
Terming the hype about resumption of prayers at Kedarnath shrine as a ploy to befool people, he said roads leading to the shrine were still in a mess, priests and common people are not being allowed to visit the shrine on the occasion due to safety reasons.

"I wonder for whom are these prayers being held? Teerth purohits who had their settlements close to the shrine are saying, bodies of their kin buried under debris be handed over to them so that they can perform their last rites.

"Not allowing them to visit the shrine at the time of resumption of prayers there is depriving them of their traditional rights," Nishank alleged.
"A visit to the affected areas was quite an eye opener. The government's claims are far from truth as it has not been able to even repair a two-feet road between Sonprayag and Gaurikund on way to Kedarnath in Rudraprayag district," said Ajay Bhatt, who had returned from a trip to the affected area.

"Houses are sliding down in Tharali and Narayanbagad areas. There are 54 villages still cut off, where relief is yet to reach. There is LPG crisis in Badrinath," Bhatt said, alleging bias in distribution of relief materials.
"There are doctors in 27 out of 140 sanctioned CMO posts in Chamoli district. This is appalling," he said.