Pilgrims stranded in U’khand to be brought back soon: CM
CHENNAI: The State government is taking all measures to rescue and bring back the Tamils who are stranded after a massive landslide in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister MK Stalin said on Sunday.
Speaking to one of the Tamils stranded there over phone, Stalin said the government was in touch with the Uttarakhand officials and taking all measures to bring them back safely to Tamil Nadu.
“I spoke to Parashakthi, one of the stranded Tamils in Uttarakhand. Efforts are on to bring back the pilgrims from Uttarakhand to Tamil Nadu safely,” Stalin said. The continuous rains that pounded Uttarakhand triggered a massive landslide on the Dharchula-Tawaghat national highway near Chaitalkot in Pithoragarh district.
Among the several pilgrims who were stranded were 30 devotees, including 17 women from Chidambaram, who went on a pilgrimage to Adi Kailash in Uttarakhand on September 3 through a private travel agency.
The pilgrims were stranded after multiple landslides were reported on the Badrinath national highway on September 14, officials here said.
As instructed by Chief Minister MK Stalin and Agriculture Minister MRK Panneerselvam, Cuddalore Collector Sibi Adhithya Senthil Kumar is in touch with Pithoragarh Collector and the officials from both states are taking steps to rescue the pilgrims and bring them to their respective places.
In an official statement, the State government said all 30 pilgrims were safe and food was being provided to them by the Uttarakhand
All 30 pilgrims from TN were rescued and taken to Dharchula. They will stay there in the camp and will be brought back to Tamil Nadu via New Delhi – State government
officials. “All the 30 pilgrims were rescued by the Uttarakhand government on Sunday and they were later taken to Dharchula in Uttarakhand. They will stay there in the camp for a few days and will be brought back to Tamil Nadu via New Delhi,” the release said.