The Times of India
written by D.S. Kunwar
Friday September 6, 2013
DEHRADUN - A search team recovered 64 more bodies from the higher ridges in Kedar valley over the last three days and cremated them. With this, the total number of bodies retrieved from the Kedar valley has gone up to 361 since the June 16-17 catastrophe triggered by flash floods, IG (law and order) R S Meena announced on Thursday.
This comes less than a week before puja is set to resume at the Kedarnath temple on September 11.
Meena said officials conducted mass cremations after completing all necessary formalities. He said 20 bodies were recovered from Rambada and 44 at Bheembali and Gomkura. "Although search operations to retrieve more bodies in difficult terrain is still on, we have succeeded in recovering most of the bodies," said chief secretary Subhash Kumar.
DIG GS Martolia, who is leading the 22-member official team camping at Guptkashi, said their sole objective was ensure that all bodies were recovered and cremated to restore cleanliness in Kedarnath valley before resumption of puja. "We have intensified the search operations to retrieve more bodies, if any, within a day or two so as to resume puja in a clean atmosphere," he said.
Ajay Pradyog, in charge of the missing persons' cell, said, "We will update the official toll of those killed and reported as missing after confirmation."
A senior IAS officer in Dehradun, however, said the official toll had not been revised as the bodies recovered from Kedarnath were of those reported missing.
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