Hyderabad, June 29 (IANS) The Andhra Pradesh government Saturday announced Rs.50 crore for relief works in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand and for construction of four pilgrim amenities centres.
Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy announced that Rs.10 crore would be given to Uttarakhand government for rescue and relief works.
Another Rs.40 crore will be spent through Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) for construction of pilgrim amenities complexes, said a statement from the chief minister’s office.
The complexes will be built at Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunothri and Gangotri at a cost of Rs.10 crore each.
The TTD, which manages the affairs of the famous Tirumala temple at Tirupati, was asked to work out proposals for construction of pilgrim amenities complexes.
The chief minister also announced a compensation of Rs.5 lakh each to the families of pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh who lost their lives in the floods in Uttarakhand. This is in addition to the ex-gratia given by the central government and other agencies.
Kiran Kumar Reddy reviewed the progress of rescue and relief operations for the pilgrims from the state with Chief Secretary P.K. Mohanty and other senior officials.
The officials said the information on missing people has been uploaded on the state government’s official website with photos and all details.
The chief minister thanked the Uttarakhand government for the help and assistance rendered for the stranded pilgrims of Andhra Pradesh.
He reiterated that round the clock relief works will continue till the last stranded person is safely returned.
The state government arranged special chartered flights from Dehra Dun to Hyderabad on June 26 and 28, apart from issuing free air tickets and running a special train from Delhi to Hyderabad.
The officials had stated Friday that 115 pilgrims from the state were missing. Out of 2,785 pilgrims who went to the hill state, 1,879 returned safely while another 778 were on their way back. Thirteen pilgrims have so far been confirmed dead.
