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The Uttarakhand government will assist the earthquake-battered Nepal in tracking missing people by using mobile call details and latest software applications.
Having gained vast experience from the 2013 calamitous floods, Uttarakhand sent a team headed by top police and government officials to Nepal.
"We will fly to Kathmandu on Wednesday morning," said G S Martolia, deputy inspector general, who is part of the team.
The state government had used mobile call details and special software to find the missing persons soon after the 2013 deluge in the hill state. The move also helped the government in re-estimating the number of missing persons. A missing cell would also be set up in Kathmandu.
The state government would also launch efforts to rescue 16 retired Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) officers who are believed to be stranded in Pokhra area of Nepal. All these retired officers are from Dehradun.
On the request of the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the government sent 25 buses carrying medical kits to Nepal, Chief Minister Harish Rawat said. The self-contained buses were sent from Tanakpur and other areas bordering Nepal. Uttarkhand shares 275 km long border with Nepal.
Rawat also said that the government would also not hesitate to send its State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to Nepal despite its urgent requirement in the Chardham yatra.
"Presently, the SDRF is engaged in the Chardham yatra. But we will not hesitate to send the SDRF to Nepal, if the need be," said Rawat.
Meanwhile, the state government has also decided to strengthen the SDRF by training additional 2000 policemen in the disaster management.
The government will also activate the district disaster response authority and provide Rs 50 lakh each to all the districts for the purchase of the anti-seismic materials.
