In light of the heavy rains and cloudburst in Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Harish Rawat chaired a meeting in Dehradun, to review ongoing relief work.
A two-day special session of Uttarakhand Asembly to be convened on 4 and 5 July was deferred in view of the heavy rainfall and flooding which has killed at least 30 people so far, while many are still trapped under debris.
The session will now be held on 21 and 22 July.
Earlier, CM Rawat told media that maintenance work is underway for the roads that have been blocked due to the landslides, and and they will be opened soon. He assured the people that the situation is under control, and there is no need to panic.
The Chief Minister also said the National Disaster Response Force, Assam Rifles, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, and the State Disaster Response Force have been deployed in Bastadi village, which has been the worst-hit by cloud burst.
While water levels of many major rivers in Uttarakhand rose above the danger mark, heavy rains are expected to continue in the next 48 hours over many parts of the state.
The MeT department has sent out warnings of heavy rains in isolated places in the state, especially in Nainital, Udhamsingh Nagar and Champawat districts.
The expected rains will cause hindrances in the rescue operations taking place in the state. Due to the predicted bad weather, schools in Nainital have been closed.
NH-58, connecting Rishikesh and Badrinath, has been blocked near Devprayag and NH-94, connecting Chamba-Rishikesh has been blocked in Bemunda, leaving commuters stranded. Fifty metres of the Gangotri highway road has been washed away while the Lata area has been shut down.
Heavy rainfall has caused the water level in Koshi River to rise and an alert has been issued in the nearby areas.
The Gangotri Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand has been temporarily halted due to the flooding on the highway.
At least 30 people were killed and 17 are missing after torrential rains triggered landslides and flooding in thirteen districts in Uttarakhand early Friday morning. Singhali, Patthakot, Ogla and Thal villages were the worst affected as a cloudburst brought over 100 mm rain in two hours over a 50 sq km region.
Rescue operations are underway in all the affected areas. State Disaster Response Force is working in blocked areas from Chamoli to Mathana.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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