Karnataka pilgrims back home, finally

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Bengaluru: Amidst the blackness of death, devastation, misfortune and fear that engulfed the hearts of thousands of helpless people stranded in Uttarakhand, the only thing spurring them onwards was hope– the hope that they would somehow make it home to their families leaving memories of the disastrous calamity behind.
“I have never felt so close to death as I did in the last few weeks. Every second earned after getting out of Uttarakhand alive feels like a new lease on life,” said 56-year-old Srinivas Acharya, one of the survivors of the mishap.
Mixed looks of worry, immense relief, and joy were writ large on the faces of the victim’s families as they stood waiting impatiently at the airport for the safe arrival of their loved ones. The cataclysmic flash-floods and landslides in Uttara­khand that claimed the lives of nearly 1,000 people and caused estimated losses above Rs. 3,000 crores, left thousands more stranded in Badrinath, Kedarnath, Uttarakashi, Chamoli, Tehri and Rudrapra­yagand other regions of the state.
Shrinivas and his wife Pushpalatha (48) were among the 51 other survivors and pilgrims from Karnataka who were rescued by State Information Minister Santosh Lad and his team of officials; and landed safely in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening. Of the 1,440 people from Karnataka who were stranded in different parts of the flood-hit state, 14 are still thought to be missing.        
“Chief Minister Siddaramaiah sent me to Uttarakhand specifically for the purpose of rescuing our people who were trapped in the disaster-struck areas, and I took up the task eagerly. Our team of ten officials and two teams of two doctors each saved 450 people and sent them back in batches. 51 people have come back today, and seven more will arrive at 7:30 pm,” said Santosh Lad, holding his eight-year-old son whose arms were wrapped protectively around him.
Referring to the catastrophe as ‘deadly’, Lad described it as a ‘very sad situation’. “The Uttarakhand government helped us co-ordinate our relief efforts but had no operation facilities whatsoever. Our efforts were aided by the Rs 5 crores that the Karnataka government provided as relief funds, along with two state helicopters for the rescue missions,” he added.  
Survivors thank state for rescue
With no light, no food, no transport and no communication with the outside world, 48-year-old Pushpalatha, her husband Srinivas Acharya (56) and nine of their relatives were at their wits’ end as to what to do.
“We reached Badrinath on June 15th, visited the temple and got back to the guesthouse. That’s when the havoc started. The morning’s slow drizzle turned into a tumultuous downpour that brought hills nearby cascading down with it. We were trapped in the guesthouse with nowhere to go, watching the world outside get slowly submerged, wondering when we were next,” recalled Pushpalatha.
When the torrential rains subsided and the water levels began decreasing, Puspalatha and her family had no choice but to try and walk to the nearest village for help. With all eleven members of the group being over 45-years-old, they had to lug their belongings on the road and walk for 20 kilometres. 
“We didn’t receive word from our relatives for eight-ten days after their arrival in Uttarakhand telling us they were safe. We were following news of the flood on television and through the papers, but we had no way of knowing who was safe until the calls came,” said a relieved B. P. Sunandana (63), whose younger brother and wife were among those rescued.
Grateful to the Karnataka state government for their relief efforts, the family, accompanied by Santosh Lad, proceeded towards Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s residence with the other survivors before heading home.