42 Ganjam pilgrims rescued from Badrinath

Bhubaneswar: As many as 42 pilgrims from Ganjam district who were stranded near Badrinath temple owing to heavy snowfall have been evacuated to safety, officials said here Sunday.
On receipt of information, the state government swung into action and approached the Uttarakhand government to take necessary measures to rescue the pilgrims. Joint Special Relief Commissioner (JSRC) PR Mohapatra said the pilgrims from Bhanjanagar area have been stranded due to heavy snowfall on their way back from Badrinath shrine.
Odisha Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda told reporters here that the state government is taking all possible measures to help the passengers stuck on way to the hill shrine. The JSRC had also written to Chamoli District Collector to ensure the safety of the stranded passengers, he said.
“We have also asked our tourism secretary Vishal Dev to keep in touch with the officials in Uttarkhand over the issue. We are waiting for the details and will ensure to take all possible steps wherever needed,” he added.
Mohapatra said the Uttarakhand government has been informed about the plight of the pilgrims and requested to provide necessary support. “As ascertained over telephone from one of the pilgrims, they are without food since Saturday night and facing problems due to power cut,” Mohapatra said.
Stating that the pilgrims would return as soon as the road is cleared, he assured steps would be taken to rescue them from the spot.
Meanwhile, Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said in a statement that he has spoken to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to ensure the safety of the stranded pilgrims.
Rawat, meanwhile, responded to Pradhan’s message saying he had issued orders for the safe evacuation of the pilgrims.
In a late night development, officials of Uttarakhand government informed SRC officials in Bhubaneswar that all the passengers from Ganjam have been evacuated safely and sent to their shelter at Pipalkoti, a two-hour bus ride from Badrinath.
SRC authorities here have set up toll-free helpline No.1070, landline No.0674-2534177 for information about stranded pilgrims from the office of SRC at Rajiv Bhawan, Bhubaneswar.