Uttarakhand: Locals in Gangotri and Harsil turn heroes

Harsil : As efforts to rescue the stranded people are going on, villagers in the flood affected region have also come to the rescue of the victims and helped save several lives.

Deepak Rana, who has been running a trekking service in Gangotri for the past five years, along with his friend and some forest officials rescued around 100 people on June 19 from Gomukh region.

"I already knew it was a dangerous route.  So since I had my trekking gear with me, I went on my own to rescue people," he said. Mr Rana, equipped with his helmet and harness, crossed a 200 metre stretch of a road that was completely destroyed to rescue the group, which included the elderly, children, and around 20 tourists.

"It was a dangerous area. Loose rocks were falling and it was raining as well," Rana said, adding rescuing the group was critical since they were stuck in a very inhospitable region. The rescue operation lasted 12 hours.

Also helping the Army, Air Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police are several locals from the Baghora village near the Harsil rescue camp, where at least 3000 people who were stranded at Gangotri are sheltered. It has a population of roughly 200 people.

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As the Army conducted its relief work, thousands of people started poured into the village, which had escaped the fury of the floods.

Poori, a 45-year-old local, is part of the community kitchen that cooks for the stranded pilgrims. She, along with other women from the village, operate from a small enclosure provided by the army.

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"We have allowed people into our homes, given them food, water and blankets," she says.

As the government scrambles to rescue as many people as possible, it is through the efforts of such people that a lot of pilgrims and tourists have returned home safely.

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