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Kin of the Pilgrims Wait in Angst

Hyderabad: As every day passes, the plight of kith and kin of those stranded in Uttarakhand is getting worse here. As per the information given by AP Bhavan control room, over 952 Hyderabadis, who went on the Char Dham yatra are stranded at different places.

M. Raghunandan Reddy, a resident of Kollur near ORR, along with 30 other retired government employees, is stranded in Badrinath since Tuesday. Though they have taken shelter in a hotel, there is no water, no power and no food.

This is what he said on Wednesday evening, says his son M. Naveen Reddy, who could manage to speak to him over phone.

“He is a cardiac patient. Army personnel are airlifting only the elderly and those who are ill seriously. Others are made to wait for few more days. My father and his group members do not have any idea as to when they would come back,” says Mr. Reddy.

No communication

“There is hardly any communication. After trying for hours, I could hardly manage to speak to him for a minute over phone. My elder brother D. Rana Pratap Ranjan Reddy, a resident of L.B. Nagar and 30 others are stranded in Kedarnath. They are safe but there is no water, no food and power,” bemoans Prithvi Ranjan Reddy, his younger brother.

But the plight of those who could not manage to speak to their family members or do not have any information about their whereabouts is beyond words.

“My wife Geetha and daughter Rehwva went on the yatra with 20 other relatives from the city. They last spoke to me on Thursday and since then there is no communication. I tried the Haridwar helpline number, but they do not have any information,” laments V. Kishore, a resident of Maruthinagar in Dilsukhnagar.

According to the control room officials, most of the Hyderabadis are stranded at Mandakini Hotel, Uttarakashi; Yamunotri; Tapovan Cottage, Gangotri; Gowrikund, Sitapur; Rampur; Kedarnath; and Badrinath.

Quote of the day

The life of an uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers its rear end, nor protects it from the bites of insects.…

__________Chanakya