New Delhi:
The Congress core group met in New Delhi today to discuss the flood situation in Uttarakhand, where floods triggered by heavy rains have claimed 102 lives.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the situation in Uttarakhand is "better than what it was yesterday."
Close to 65,000 people remain stuck in the state, many of them pilgrims from other states who were headed to the four shrines or "Char Dham" that include Badrinath and Kedarnath. 6000 are stranded on the Harsil-Gangotri route alone where 15 landslides have taken place.
The Army is leading rescue operations. 5,000 soldiers have been deployed in the worst-affected areas. 18 Air Force helicopters are being used to air-lift stranded pilgrims, tourists and residents in Uttarakhand and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh. The state government has also hired private choppers to assist rescue operations.