By Admin 
The work of evacuating the trapped devotees in the vicinity of Opdest Dharali village of Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand continued on Friday. Rescue and relief operations are being carried out by air due to the damage to several routes including Gangotri National Highway.
According to information received from Uttarkashi District Emergency Campaign Center, 80 devotees and locals have been transported from Harshil to Matli Helipad of ITBP via helicopter from this morning. A total of 452 people have been taken out so far.
According to the Center, on Thursday, 260 devotees and local people were brought to Matli from Harshil and 112 others from Harshil to Jollygrant Airport near Dehradun.
Use of Chinook and M-17 helicopters
Apart from the Uttarakhand government, Army Chinook and M-17 helicopters are being used to get people out.
Advanced equipment is also being transported on the spot by air through Chinook and MI-17 to search for missing people in the debris pile in Dharali. Food and other essential materials are also being sent through helicopters in the affected areas.
An official of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) said that due to the broken roads at various places, more emphasis is being laid on the air route for the rescue operation.
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State Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has been camping at Uttarkashi district headquarters since Wednesday to oversee rescue and relief work.
Dhami said in a post on Facebook, “.. I reviewed the relief and rescue operations issued in Kaal Dharali in the morning. With the help of Heli Seva, MI 17 and Chinook helicopters, people are being evacuated by running a relief campaign on a war footing since morning. ”
He said that the officials have been given necessary guidelines regarding the restoration of road, communication and electricity as well as food grains supply. Dhami said, “We are trying to rescue all the affected and restore normal life as soon as possible.”
The Chief Minister said that full support is being received from the central government in the rescue and relief campaign.