BSF rebuilds lives in 12 villages of Kalimath valley hit by Uttarakhand floods

BSF is carrying out rehabilitation operations in 12 devastated villages of Kalimath valley in Rudraprayag district of flood-hit Uttarakhand. The Border Security Force, which launched a massive rebuilding operation in the flood-hit valley on July 8 with funds of over Rs 16 crore, hopes to wind it up by the end of this month after helping put life back on track in 12 villages of the area it had adopted.

"Relief and rehabilitation in the 12 villages of Kalimath valley adopted by us is nearing completion with 90 per cent of the work already completed and the remaining part likely to be completed soon. We hope to wind up our operation by October 30," BSF IG Ashok Kumar told reporters on Monday evening.

The valley was adopted on an initiative of BSF DG Subhash Joshi due to large-scale damage suffered by its people and its remote location. Food and medical facilities were put up in the area on a priority basis by a 140-member BSF team led by Commandant Raj Kumar Negi.

Community kitchens were put up in five villages of the area including Kalimath, Kabiltha, Kotma, Sanyasu and Chilaund to provide meals to affected people twice daily, which are still in operation, the BSF IG said.

To provide immediate medical care to about 40 pregnant women in the villages of the valley cut off from highways, the force put up 10 temporary beds in the maternity ward of Kotma government hospital and deployed women members of its medical corps and nursing staff there, besides providing medicines.

It provided computers and play equipment for school children in the area and installed 255 solar street lights in the villages. Without waiting for government funds, the BSF began the exercise with Rs 16.27 crore contributed by 2.5 lakh members of the force less than a month after the mid-June calamity, Kumar said.

The force also protected Kalimath temple by diverting the course of the swollen Kalignaga river, besides constructing a large number of foot-tracks in the area, he said.

Currently, the border guards are busy repairing buildings of educational institutions in the villages, reconnecting them with the main highways by installing ropeway trolley bridges and restoring the water pipelines.

"Efforts are under way to finish all this work within this month so that we can wind up our operations by October 30," Kumar said.