U'khand: Ministers differ on relief, Big B salutes army

Dehradun, June 22: Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari on Saturday contradicted Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's admission that the relief work in the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand was plagued by lack of coordination. State ministers had also conceded to the fact that the rescue operation in Gujarat was hit by improper coordination.

Tewari said 10,000 people were evacuated on Saturday, which showed the flawless rescue exercise.

Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan on Saturday expressed his solidarity for those affected by the unprecedented natural calamity in the Himalayan state and praised the army for its relentless effort in rescuing the distressed.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said the number of people stranded has now been reduced to 22,000. He also said that the death toll could exceed 1,000. He also defended Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's air sortie in the affected areas, saying the VVIPs' visit did not affect the rescue operations.

Modi had met Bahuguna after his aerial survey and pledged all support to reconstruct the damaged temples in the area.

Predictions of rain from Monday have put the administration to quicken the rescue operation in these areas as it will be immensely challenging to carry on the massive operations once the rain resumes.

OneIndia News