BJP demands Uttarakhand disaster be declared national calamity

Claiming that thousands of people have died in floods and landslides in Uttarakhand, BJP today demanded that the disaster that struck the hill state be declared a national calamity.
"We demand that urgent steps be taken to describe this disaster as a national calamity. Adequate attention on war footing be given for rehabilitation and rescue operations," BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi told reporters here.
Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said thousands of people have died in the Uttarakhand floods and has asked Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde to use the army for the rescue operations in the state.

"Thousands of people have died and there is no rescue operation," Swaraj said on Twitter.
BJP President Rajnath Singh also expressed concern over the situation in Uttarakhand and appealed to BJP cadres to provide immediate help and assistance to people affected by the massive floods and landslides.
Lekhi said the "abuse and misuse of the system is basically causing damage to the governance structure of the country" and claimed that what has happened in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi also is a result of "mis- governance".

The spokesperson said there was no early warning system and alleged that the guidelines of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) have been violated.

With no let-up in rainfall, the ground conditions and attendant human misery are likely to worsen, revealing the country's lack of flood preparedness, she said.
"The government has been a mute witness to the lack of infrastructure and modern facilities for Hindu pilgrims," she said.