Ensure rescue of pilgrims from Gujarat: Rupani to Uttarakhand CM

Rupani has also instructed Gujarat chief secretary Anil Mukim to contact the Uttarakhand administration and take immediate action in this regard, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a release.

In view of a glacier burst in Uttarakhand, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday requested his counterpart Trivendra Singh Rawat to ensure immediate help and rescue of pilgrims from Gujarat stranded in the northern state.

ITBP personnel digging to open Tapovan Tunnel which is completely blocked due to debris. (HT Photo)

A part of the Nanda Devi glacier broke off at Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Sunday, leading to a massive flood in the Dhauli Ganga river and causing a large-scale devastation in the upper reaches of the ecologically fragile Himalayas.

Rupani has also instructed Gujarat chief secretary Anil Mukim to contact the Uttarakhand administration and take immediate action in this regard, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a release.

"In a telephonic conversation with the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, Vijay Rupani has requested for immediate help and relief and to ensure rescue of the pilgrims from Gujarat trapped in the natural calamity at Chamoli Tapovan in Uttarakhand. He also sought help in arranging treatment for the injured," it said.

Several pilgrims from Gujarat are reportedly stranded afterthe glacier broke off at Joshimath.

A pilgrim from Rajkot, Krishnaben Pancholi, told a Gujarati news channel over phone that a group of 50 pilgrims from Gujarat was instructed to return to Dehradun from Haridwar, while they were on the way towards Tapovan in Uttarakhand when the calamity struck.

"We are safe. We were going towards Srinagar and Tapowan when we received instruction from the authorities that we should go back towards Dehradun, where we are headed, leaving some of our baggage in Haridwar. There is a high alert in Haridwar and Rishikesh," she said.