Two injured Army jawans have since been airlifted to higher medical centres. Secretary Disaster Management, Vinod Kumar Suman, confirmed to TNIE, “274 people have been brought to Harsil from Gangotri and other areas, and all are safe.” He detailed the rescued individuals’ origins, including 131 from Gujarat, 123 from Maharashtra, 21 from Madhya Pradesh, and others from various states, all of whom have been transported to Dehradun. The Indian Army has significantly escalated its Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations, deploying over 225 troops, including specialised engineer and medical teams. PRO (Defence) Lt. Col Manish Shrivastava stated, “Rescue and relief tasks are being conducted under extremely challenging conditions, actively supported by drones for aerial reconnaissance.” Two helipads at Harsil and Nelong are operational, facilitating rapid troop induction and casualty evacuation. Chinook and Mi-17 helicopters are on standby, with an ad-hoc aviation base established at Matli due to extensive road breaches. Recco radar teams and search-and-rescue dogs are further aiding the efforts. The Army operations are under the direct oversight of Lt Gen Sengupta, Commander of the Central Command. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited Uttarkashi hospital on Thursday, meeting disaster victims and directing medical officials to ensure their proper care. The challenging conditions are expected to persist, with the Meteorological Department issuing an ‘Orange Alert’ for heavy to very heavy rainfall in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, Pithoragarh, and Udham Singh Nagar districts. A ‘Yellow Alert’ for heavy rain has been issued for Dehradun, Nainital, Champawat, and Pauri, with similar warnings for other districts. The State Meteorological Centre has forecast the possibility of a spell of intense rain across the state until August 11 in the coming days. Rohit Thapliyal, Director of the Centre, stated, “Heavy rain in the hilly areas of the state can exacerbate problems.” Issuing an advisory, he added, “Avoid travelling to mountainous regions if not necessary, and those residing near rivers and streams should exercise extra caution.”
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