Govt insensitive to rain victims’ plight: Congress

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 13

Uttarakhand Congress on Friday accused the state BJP government of being insensitive towards death and destruction caused by incessant rains in the state.

At a press conference at the state Congress headquarters here, Uttarakhand Congress senior vice-president Suryakant Dhasmana accused the BJP of not even expressing its condolences over recent seven deaths in capital Dehradun due to rains.

He asserted that July 11 rains led to large-scale destruction in Dehradun leading to death of seven persons and injuring several others. “But neither Chief Minister Trivendra Rawat nor BJP state president Ajay Bhatt found it fit to visit the residences of the deceased and pay their condolences. They were rather getting themselves felicitated in Kashipur on that same day”, Dhasmana pointed out. 

He said the BJP was more concern about poll preparedness than disaster preparedness. In many localities like Hill View Colony, Deepnagar and Mitra colonies of Dehradun the gushing rain water entered the houses, inundating the area but the administration failed to provide immediate relief. 

“Disaster preparedness failed completely as the administration even did not provide food packets to the affected. If this is the condition of capital what can be expected as far as disaster management is concern in far-flung hilly areas”, he observed. He said even Uttarakhand Governor had expressed concern over cases of water-logging in Dehradun.

Dhasmana also held that it was strange that the BJP had all the nine MLAs in the Dehradun district but none of the MLAs have time to even hear the concerns of the residents and shopkeepers.