CM Dhami donates one month's salary for Uttarkashi flood relief; over 270 rescued so far

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has pledged to donate his one month's salary to support disaster relief efforts in Uttarkashi following flashfloods triggered by a cloudburst, according to a release from his office.

The Chief Minister's Office stated that the state government is conducting relief and rescue operations on a war footing in the Dharali and Harshil areas of Uttarkashi district.

The CM also appealed to public representatives, officials, voluntary organisations and citizens to "cooperate" in the relief work "according to their capacity", the statement added.

माननीय मुख्यमंत्री श्री @pushkardhami जी ने उत्तरकाशी जिले के धराली एवं हर्षिल क्षेत्र में आई आपदा के दृष्टिगत अपने एक माह का वेतन आपदा राहत कार्यों हेतु प्रदान करने की घोषणा की है।

माननीय मुख्यमंत्री जी ने कहा कि राज्य सरकार आपदा प्रभावित लोगों के साथ हर कदम पर खड़ी है और इस…

— Office Of Pushkar Singh Dhami (@OfficeofDhami) August 7, 2025

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has intensified its operations in the state. NDRF Deputy Inspector General Mohsen Shahedi said on Thursday, "18 teams of NDRF have been deployed in Uttarakhand. Four teams of NDRF have been deployed in Dharali; other teams are on standby... A joint operation has been launched to carry out the rescue operations... 274–275 people have been rescued so far."

In a parallel effort, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) confirmed on Thursday that 21 more civilians stranded in Gangotri were evacuated by helicopter from Nelong to Harsil in Uttarkashi district.

Speaking to reporters, Amit Kumar from the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) said, "Our four machines are working in this operation. The Director General of Border Roads and our chief also visited here. At least 20–40 houses are still buried and fully damaged... So far, 150–175 people have been rescued by BRO, ITBP, NDRF, and SDRF. A total of five bodies have been recovered so far."

Earlier on Wednesday, the Uttarakhand government informed ANI that 274 individuals stranded in Gangotri and nearby areas had been safely evacuated to Harshil. The group includes 131 people from Gujarat, 123 from Maharashtra, 21 from Madhya Pradesh, 12 from Uttar Pradesh, six from Rajasthan, seven from Delhi, five from Assam, five from Karnataka, three from Telangana, and one from Punjab.

All evacuees are safe and are being transported to Uttarkashi or Dehradun.