India is one: Army gives states a lesson on national effort in Uttarakhand

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Hyderabad: The Indian Army on Wednesday put its foot down and refused to allow different state governments to mount their own operations to evacuate pilgrims of their respective states by arranging for special helicopters.
 
The Uttarakhand government at the behest of the Army directed officials from the states to put the copters they have hired at the disposal of the Army for rescue operations.
 
“There are clear instructions from the Army that it will operate the copters and transport pilgrims as per the tokens already issued to pilgrims. They said a strict no to state-wise evacuation of pilgrims,” official sources said.
 
The reference was to tokens in different colours issued to pilgrims to indicate priority for evacuation, depending on their condition.
 

A stranded child being rescued by an army man at Lambgar in flood ravaged Uttarakhand on Wednesday - PTI
 
State governments have been selectively picking up pilgrims from their own states while ignoring the claims of others holding the Army’s priority tokens.
 
Copters handed over to Army

 
Hyderabad: Following the Army’s refusal to allow different state governments to mount their own operations for evacuation of pilgrims of their respective states, the AP government, which had hired two helicopters a few days ago, handed them over to the Army in Sahasradhara, the makeshift base for the rescue operations. 
 
Sources said the 22-member team from Gujarat and the way they behaved with local officials had led to problems. The Army personnel involved in the rescue operations were said to have complained about the discrimination shown in evacuation.
 
“The chief secretary (of Uttarakhand) issued a stern warning that pilgrims of other states might damage the copters of a particular state because they are emotionally charged up due to exhaustion,” official sources said.
 

Army doctors providing medical aids to a rescued pilgrim at Lambagar in Uttarakhand on Wednesday - PTI 
 
The Army which has code-named the Operation Surya Hope has hosted a website suryahopes.in. The website contains details of pilgrims stranded in several places such as Harsil, Badrinath, Kedarnath axis, Chamoli and Joshimath. Names of several pilgrims from the state along with their mobile numbers are available on the site.
 
T. Radha, disaster management commissioner, announced in Uttarak-hand that the whereabouts of 284 pilgrims from AP was still not known. The state government has put the official death toll at 14.