The exact number of people dead or washed away may never be known, Uttarakhand chief minister Vijay Bahuguna said on Sunday as estimates of casualties in the worst natural disaster in the state run from several hundreds to several thousands.
"We will never know the exact number of those dead and the number of people who have been buried or washed away," he told PTI in an interview.
In the interview, the chief minister dismisses criticism about the state government's handling of the situation and suggestions that it was a man-made disaster.
Bahuguna also put the number of people missing in the flash floods in the state at 3,000.
"After taking into consideration all the missing-person reports lodged in this state and elsewhere, I have been told that the number of those missing is around 3,000," he told reporters in Dehradun.
He said instructions have been given that kin of all missing people should report the matter to the authorities.
"We will give the compensation amount to the next of kin of the missing if they give us an affidavit," the chief minister said.
He said as far as people from the state who are missing are concerned the district authorities will work on that. "For the victims of my state we will give the compensation and put them on fast track."
As for those who are from other states they should lodge complaints in their state, he said.
"If the states confirm to Uttarakhand that people from their states had come on pilgrimage here and that these number of pilgrims should be presumed to be dead and have not come back, we will accept their version and the compensation amount will be paid to respective chief secretaries for distribution to victims of the respective states," he said.
"There is a DIG rank officer (Mr Gunjiyal) who is up there in Kedarnath and has been assigned the task of cremation of bodies. The process of cremation is on.
"The bodies which were lying on the streets (have been taken for cremation). A number of bodies are stuck in the buildings where they were living but for them (to be extricated) you require some machines. Some JCB machines are being made available," Bahuguna said.
Earlier on the day, Uttarakhand health minister Surinder Singh Negi also did not discount the state assembly speaker's claim that 10,000 people have perished in the rain-flood tragedy, saying it was an "estimate" as many bodies are still buried under mounds of debris in the Kedarnath valley area.
Earlier on the day, Uttarakhand health minister Surinder Singh Negi also did not discount the state assembly speaker's claim that 10,000 people have perished in the rain-flood tragedy, saying it was an "estimate" as many bodies are still buried under mounds of debris in the Kedarnath valley area.
Speaking to IANS, the minister said the estimates are based on what evacuated people have recounted to the rescue teams and to government officials.
"He (state assembly speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal) has given an estimated figure. At the moment, it is an estimate. It can go down, or it could go up. It is too early to give the exact number of deaths in the tragedy that has completely devastated the state," Negi said.
Kunjwal had caused a flutter on Saturday with his claim of the death toll having crossed 10,000.
Kunjwal told reporters that during his earlier tour of the flood-devastated areas of the state he had put the death toll at 5,000-6,000.
"But after hearing accounts of the people coming down from the mountains and that of people calling me up and seeing the piles of bodies, I feel the toll could be well over 10,000."
But Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde clarified that the toll was 900 according to the information with him. He added that the complete figure on the deaths was not out yet and it would take some days for that.
Bahuguna has termed Kunjwal's claim as "inaccurate".
Negi said the worst affected area is the Kedarnath Valley and where bodies are still lying around.
"We have so far cleared the 14-km pedestrian route from Gaurikund to Kedarnath. But there are many bodies that are still buried under mounds and mounds of debris. These bodies are trapped under 5-10 feet of debris. We need to clear them. Once we clear them, we will be in a position to give the (exact) toll figure," he said.
The health minister also said that during the recent visit of the Union home minister the state government had requested for earth excavating machines.
"It is not possible to manually dig out the bodies. We have asked for these machines from the central government. The machines can be air-dropped, and with their help we would be able to dig out the bodies in the Kedarnath valley," he added.
"Many people who have been rescued from Kedarnath valley have recounted horror stories. We fear that many died in this stretch. But at the moment we cannot give the exact number. It is just an estimate. The 10,000 toll can go up or it can go down too," he reiterated.
The minister also said that it will take them time to give the exact toll figure.
"We will get an exact number after counting the bodies and by adding the missing persons reports filed by the people whose near and dear ones are untraceable. We are taking the DNA of each body," he said.
Negi said there is a fear that the decomposing bodies in the Kedarnath valley could lead to an epidemic.
"Our first priority is to dig out the bodies, and the second is to restore the entire route of the Kedarnath valley. The third is to see that there is no outbreak of epidemic. We are monitoring the situation. So far, there is no fear," Negi said.
Kedarnath, one of the revered pilgrimage sites for millions of Hindus, is situated at an altitude of 3,586 mt in the lap of the majestic mountain peaks and near the head of river Mandakini. It can be reached after a steep 14-km-long trek.
The incessant and intense rains that hit Uttarakhand over three days from June 14 triggered flash floods and landslides, leading to hundreds of deaths, while hundreds more are missing.
Over 100,000 people have been evacuated so far.
Negi also said that 300-400 people are still stranded in Badrinath and waiting to be rescued. The Indian Air Force evacuated over 800 people Saturday.
