Even after one month of the havoc wreaked by cloud burst leading to flash floods and landslide in Uttarakhand, the government and other development agencies are still struggling to ensure that the relief materials reaches the most-affected and needy people who are deep inside the mountains. Most of the formal lines of transportation have been destroyed leaving the relief materials stranded at various places. One lady has the answer and she is proposing it not by preaching it but by putting it to action.  Bachendri Pal, India’s first woman to climb Mount Everest, and her colleagues are using their mountaineering skills to help the victims.

Pal, along with her dedicated set of mountaineering colleagues, is carrying relief material on back to stranded flood victims who are in danger of starvation. Every day, in the morning, Pal and her colleagues pack relief material in their backpack, traverse one of the most difficult terrains and distribute relief materials to the needy and the deprived.

This work of pal’s team was lauded by Uttarakhand chief minister, Vijay Bahuguna, in a meeting called by him to strengthen the coordination between government and NGOs for effective and efficient relief delivery. The meeting started with the chief minister appreciating the work being done by the NGOs which according to him was highly commendable as NGOs have been able to reach places with the relief materials where even the government is having trouble reaching. Bahuguna also expressed a word of concern that there have been instances where the relief has been distributed only in the villages which are accessible leaving the most affected and remotest community deprived of the aid. He also assured the NGOs present that the government has opened a separate cell headed by S K Muttoo, IAS and principal resident commissioner, Uttarakhand, to coordinate with Delhi-based NGOs on a day to day basis. 

To give moral support to the NGOs working in the flood-hit state, the chief minister spoke over the phone to field workers asking them about the conditions on the field and enquiring if they were getting full support of the administration in their work. He also assured to step up the state government’s support to relief workers in the remote areas.

The state government has come out with a list of beneficiaries (village-wise) which the NGOs were asked to follow in order to avoid duplication of efforts and ensure that the most deserving and the needy gets the aid. NGOs have also been roped in to ensure that the compensation package reaches the affected people. Field agents will have to educate the beneficiaries about the procedure of filing for compensation and help them in working towards receiving it.

Stressing on cooperation on all fronts, Matoo said, that the government had limited capacity in terms of quality and quantity of manpower in extending maximum outreach to relief operations. He acknowledged the expertise of the civil society in tackling the devastation.