SC tells govt to make all efforts

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre and Uttarakhand government to "make all out efforts" to rescue thousands of people stranded in the state due to flash floodsand heavy rains. HT reports.

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Centre and Uttarakhand government to "make all out efforts" to rescue thousands of people stranded in the state due to flash floodsand heavy rains.

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A bench of justices AK Patnaik and Justice Ranjan Gogoi directed government to deploy sufficient number of helicopters at the flood-affected areas

The bench also observed that sufficient food and drinking water should be provided to the rescued.

“We direct as an interim measure that all stranded people be provided immediate relief by the state and district authorities by giving them food, medicines and other essential things including fuel,” the bench said, asking the Centre and National Disaster Management Authority to assist the state government.

“We also direct, depending on the availability of helicopters, sufficient number of helicopters be deployed for picking up the stranded persons," the apex court said in its order.

The court’s interim directions came after a PIL was filed by a lawyer Ajay Bansal seeking court’s intervention.

On the petitioner’s plea, the bench further ordered the authorities not to discriminate among the affected people during the relief and rehabilitation operations.

A status report on how the Centre is aiding the state in carrying out the relief and rehabilitation work would be filed before the court on June 25, the day when it takes up the matter again.