The Centre today said it is not the time to indulge in blame game over the handling of the situation in Uttarakhand caused by heavy rains and floods amid opposition demands for dismissal of the Bahuguna government.
"It is not the time to indulge in blame game....You should appreciate what the state government has done to tackle the calamity," minister of state for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran said in the Lok Sabha.
Replying to a special discussion on the tragedy in the hill state, Ramachandran said it was humanly impossible to evacuate a single person when the calamity struck in June due to inclement weather and torrential rains.
He denied that the IMD had forewarned of the impending calamity saying that it had issued a general warning of heavy to very heavy rains in the region on June 15 and 16.
But at the same time he agreed that the Uttarakand disaster will work as a benchmark for future disaster management plans.
Replying a volley of questions, the minister said now people will not have to wait for seven years to get a death certificate for their kin presumed dead in Uttarakhand tragedy following a circular issued by the Registrar General.
Intervening on the issue, Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde said certificates will be issued in the next three months, but only after proper verification to check frauds.
The government said as on July 27, 5359 people, including 4400 pilgrims from outside the state were missing. The rest included locals and over 90 Nepali citizens.
He said prayers at the Kedarnath shrine will begin from September 11.
