Device that monitors China movement, is missing since glacier burst: Uttarakhand minister

Dehradun, Feb 16: Uttarakhand Irrigation Minister Satpal Maharaj on Tuesday said that a device that helps in monitoring China's movement has gone missing since the glacier burst in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on February 7. The minister urged the Central government to investigate the matter among the other things related to the disaster.

addressing the media, Satpal Maharaj said that all angles related to the glacier burst should be investigated and in order to do that the state government is forming a department to monitor and study all the glaciers through satellite.

"We are concerned about how glaciers are melting and creating a tidal wave in the mountains," he added.

Talking about the missing device, the minister said, "The plutonium pack that was kept to monitor China's movement is no longer there. We request the government to investigate the pack too."

The death toll in the glacier burst has gone up to 58 as a total of 11 bodies have been recovered from the Tapovan tunnel, whereas 146 people are still missing.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel along with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other sister agencies have been conducting search and rescue operations in Chamoli district.

The glacier burst in the Tapovan-Reni area of Chamoli District led to massive flooding in the Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers and damaged houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project.