Title - 2,800 AP pilgrims in Uttarakhand evacuated

As many as 2,800 pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, stranded at different places in Uttarakhand, have been evacuated and 1,500 of them have been sent back to their respective home places in special trains from Delhi, minister for civil supplies D Sridhar Babu has said.Speaking to Express over phone from Dehradun in Uttarakhand, he said the situation in the hill state looks grim. “We have sent a chopper to airlift Telugu pilgrims and others form the places where they were stranded,” he said.Sridhar Babu, along with Union minister of state for social justice Balaram Naik and minister for labour and employment Danam Nagender were sent to Uttarakhand by chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to oversee rescue and relief operations for the stranded pilgrims from the state.On Sunday the morning, one helicopter, taken there from the state, was pressed into service to evacuate those stuck in flood hit areas. However, rain hampered rescue operations for some time, which resumed after the rain stopped.

The helicopter airlifted pilgrims from the state taking shelter in an Ashram in Rishikesh. “All of them are safe. We have sent a detailed report to the chief minister seeking another Helicopter to speed up evacuation because in one trip only 10 passengers can be brought to safety,” Sridhar Babu explained.

Still, hundreds of people form the state are stranded at different locations in Uttarakhand. The situation is horrifying, he said.

District tourism officer R Venkateshwar Rao, who too went to Deharadun, gave the list of pilgrims from Karimnagar who are safe in Rishikesh. They include Rangu Ganapathi Goud, Rangu Bharathi, Rangu Satyalal, Rangu Manemma, Sindu, Sathani Malla Reddy, Sathani Vajramma, M Narayana Goud and Laxmi. They will be airlifted to Deharadun, and from there, will be sent to AP Bhavan in Delhi, from where they will leave for Karimnagar in a special train, he said.

Meanwhile, Akula Manemma and Theegala Vijaya, who have been missing since the devastation struck, were reportedly traced. The last call from Manemma to her relatives was on June 21 and thereafter, there was no contact from her or others. Manemma said her husband Narayana Goud had died in the landslide, after suffering a head injury, officials are yet to confirm the death. Meanwhile, about 22 pilgrims from Jagtiyal, who went on the Chardham Yatra and were rescued, are expected to reach Karimnagar by Monday.