Alert in Uttarakhand after downpour

Dehradun: Heavy rains lashed Uttarakhand on Monday, and the Met department forecast more rains in the coming days.

Nainital, a tourist haven, was among the major places that got more than 75 mm of rains in a day, a weather official told IANS.

With the Met department predicting heavy rains over the next 48 hours, the government asked the state disaster management units to remain on high alert.

Officials warned of landslides due to the downpour and asked people to avoid hill tracts.

IANS

Uttarakhand rains: Over 20,000 people affected

Dharasu: It has been four days since heavy rains battered Uttarakhand, triggering landslides and flash floods. The death toll has reached 34. Seventy villages remain cut off from the Uttarkashi district headquarters. 

An estimated 20,000 people have been affected. Around 3,000 pilgrims on the Chardham yatra are still stranded. It hasn't rained for two days in a row. This is expected to boost relief operations as well as open up the route. 

Food packets are being airdropped. But relief hasn't reached a number of villages because of the difficult terrain. 

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna is likely to meet the Prime Minister on Tuesday, he has demanded a Rs 600-crore relief package for the affected region.