Four members of a Jammu family and 44 of a group of pilgrims from Udhampur to Chaardham in Uttarakhand, who safely returned home to the relief of their anxiety stricken relatives, have related the horrible experience they met with on account of flash floods that swept Kedar Ghati of Uttarakhand on June 16. According to their statement, the Uttarakhand Government had made no arrangements worth the name for providing facility and safety to the large number of pilgrims. There is no record anywhere to ascertain the number of Jammu pilgrims and there whereabouts. There appears complete breakdown of connectivity among various relief organizations because in absence of any police entry anywhere, it is difficult rather impossible to ascertain the status of missing pilgrims. Divisional Commissioner Jammu has been in touch with his counterpart in Garhwal but so far despite passing of a full week the details of the whereabouts of all pilgrims from Jammu remain obscure. There is urgent need of coordination between various organs of civil administration, police, relief agencies, Uttarakhand Government and the Army, Air Force and ITBP to find out missing people. Several families of Jammu pilgrims still untraceable. Their members should contact the Control Room at the office of the Divisional Commissioner Jammu and record details of the missing members. It may also be possible for the Divisional Commissioner Jammu to depute a small police team to Uttarakhand for ascertaining whereabouts of Jammu pilgrims who are missing and have not returned home so far. After all, some clue is to be obtained through official sources. Keeping in mind the heavy toll of life taken by the flash floods, relatives and near ones of missing pilgrims from Jammu have reason to give way to deep anxiety and disquiet. The State Government needs to take up cases of these missing pilgrims with Uttarakhand Government on urgent basis.
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