SDRF, Uttarakhand Police ramp up rescue, relief operations following heavy rainfall, snowfall

`Fairly widespread to widespread light/moderate rainfall/snowfall very likely to continue over Western Himalayan Region on 3rd and 04th February. Isolated hailstorm very likely over Himachal Pradesh on 03rd and over Uttarakhand on 03rd and 04th February, 2022,` said IMD in a tweet.

Dehradun: State Disaster Management Authority and Uttarakhand Police on Friday (February 4, 2022) ramped up rescue and relief operations for people after heavy rainfall and snowfall battered parts of Uttarakhand. SDRF, Uttarakhand Police teams rescued people stuck at places due to extreme weather conditions.

The official information received from SDRF today informed that as many as six people, who were trapped due to snowfall in the Diwalikhal area of Chamoli district were rescued by a team of SDRF. It was informed by the Sonprayag police that some people are trapped in the snow about three kilometres below Trijugi Narayan Temple. On knowing this, the SDRF team immediately reached the spot and rescued as many as two people trapped there and shifted them to a safe place.

SDRF also received information about some people being trapped in the Mach Khali area of Almora district. The officials have reached the spot and are carrying out rescue operations. The rescue and relief operations at various places are still underway. 

The India Meteorological Department, in its tweet on Thursday, informed, "Fairly widespread to widespread light/moderate rainfall/snowfall very likely to continue over Western Himalayan Region on 3rd and 04th February. Isolated hailstorm very likely over Himachal Pradesh on 03rd and over Uttarakhand on 03rd and 04th February, 2022." 

This news holds importance as first virtual rally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Uttarakhand, which was scheduled to take place on Friday morning, has been cancelled due to inclement weather, said the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday.

"Keeping the safety of people who would come to attend this virtual rally in mind, the party decided to cancel the rally," said an official statement from BJP.

The assembly elections for the 70-seat Uttarakhand assembly are slated to take place on February 14.

The BJP which is seeking its second term in office is led by incumbent Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

This would have been Prime Minister Modi`s first campaign for Uttarakhand after the announcement of the election dates.

The weather has taken a sudden turn in states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh over the last 48 hours including rainfall that has been witnessed in the national capital as well.