Dehradun, 16 Sept

Cloudbursts and heavy rains overnight left a trail of destruction in Uttarakhand's capital Dehradun and its neighbouring areas on Tuesday, sweeping away at least five people and leaving more than 500 stranded in different locations.

Sahastradhara, Maldevta, Santla Devi and Dalanwala were the worst-hit by the disaster, according to the district disaster management office here. Sahastradhara received 192 mm of rain, followed by Maldevta (141.5 mm), Hathi Barkala and Jolly Grant (92.5mm each) and Kalsi (83.5 mm).

Several roads, houses and shops were damaged while a bridge was washed away. Five people were swept away by the torrential waters in different parts of the city, and 584 have been left stranded, it said.

Most rivers were in spate following the showers. The Tamsa river, on the banks of which the famous Tapkeshwar temple is located, is flowing very close to the danger mark. The Ganga and the Yamuna are flowing close to the warning level.

The Tamsa swelled rapidly in the morning, inundating the temple and submerging the gigantic Hanuman statue near its entrance up to the shoulders. The temple's priest, Bipin Joshi, said that he has not seen the river waters rise so high in the past 25 to 30 years.

Luckily, there were few devotees within the temple premises in the early morning hours when the inundation occurred, he said, adding that the priests staying at the temple are safe.

Disaster Management Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman said teams are engaged in relief and rescue operations in the affected areas, while 300 to 400 people have already been moved to safety.

About 200 children trapped by waterlogging at the Devbhoomi Institute campus in Paundha area of Dehradun were rescued by an SDRF team, said Banshidhar Tiwari, Director General, Information.

Waterlogging in Tehri left people stranded at Geeta Bhawan, he said, adding that they were later rescued. Also, a road in Nainital has been blocked by debris brought by a landslide triggered by heavy rain, he said.

Residents of Majhara village were on the road, having survived what they called a landslide that hit their dwellings early in the morning. They claimed that some people have gone missing.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the rain-affected areas of Dehradun district to review the situation on the ground. Local MLAs and senior officials accompanied him.

Interacting with reporters in the rain-hit Maldevta area, he said, "All rivers are in spate following heavy rains. Roads have been breached at 25 to 30 places. Approach roads are cut off. Houses and government properties have been damaged. Normal life is severely affected. Rescue teams are working on a war footing to restore normalcy."

"The state government stands with every affected family. The administration is already on alert mode, and the NDRF, SDRF, police and local administration are active," he said.

The chief minister's office, in a social media post in Hindi, said Dhami has briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the situation in Uttarakhand following heavy showers.

They assured the state of all possible help and asserted that the Union government stands firmly with the people of Uttarakhand in this hour of crisis, according to the CMO.

Heavy rains caused the Song River to swell, flooding nearby areas.

Speaking to PTI Videos earlier in the day, Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Sadar, Hari Giri, said, "The water level is rising, and the flow is very strong right now. No deaths have been reported so far. Tourists were staying in the hotels."

The river endangered a bridge in Maldevta, prompting the administration to respond quickly and work in coordination to restore normalcy.

Waterlogging has been reported in Dehradun's IT Park area, with water entering many offices, leaving people stranded.

"I have been stranded here since 5:30am. There is a lot of water. The car here has been stuck since last night and is submerged. Water has entered offices and basements," said Hrithik Sharma, a local.

Dhami inspected the Maldevta and Kesarwala areas of Dehradun district, hit hard by heavy rains, and took stock of the situation. He directed officials to speed up relief and rescue operations and assured the locals of all assistance.

The blocked routes should be opened at the earliest, and supply of safe drinking water and electricity should be ensured immediately, the chief minister stressed.

During the inspection, Dhami was accompanied by MLA Shri Umesh Sharma 'Kau', Garhwal Commissioner Shri Vinay Shankar Pandey, IG Garhwal Shri Rajiv Swaroop, Additional Secretary Shri Banshidhar Tiwari and senior officers of the district administration.