The Evacuation of stranded people from flood-ravaged areas of Uttarakhand picked up pace today. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police, the ITBP has said, the next 24 hours are crucial for carrying out rescue operations as inclement weather is likely to hamper the process. Besides ITBP and Indian Airforce and other agencies about 8,500 Army jawans are continuously working to locate the people still stranded in most difficult of places and shift them to safer areas. 1000 pilgrims stuck between Kedarnath and Gaurikund have been sighted .

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who arrived in Dehradun this morning for an aerial survey of the affected areas, said Centre will provide all possible help to the Uttarakhand government for rescue and relief operations in the flood and cloud burst affected areas of the State. Talking to reporters Mr. Shinde expressed hope that all the stranded people in the flood-hit areas will to be rescued in the next one or two days. The Home Minister said the evacuation process has been taken up on a war footing.

GOC-in-Chief of Central Command, Lt Gen Anil Chait told reporters in Lucknow that Army has all the required resources to extend help to the people there and they are being rescued by erecting smaller bridges and through other means in the most challenging of situations. Gen. Chait said that a helipad has been set up in Gangotri area and expressed hope that all the people from there would be evacuated by tomorrow. He said the process to shift people about 1,000 people in Mangal Patti areato Gauri Kund has started.

The General said that in Pindari glacier, a group of 45 children has been saved while efforts were on to locate another group. He added that some people stranded on the bridge on the Alaknanda on the road from Badrinath to Joshimath and Rudraprayag have been saved. Lt Gen Chaith saidthat those left in Gadariya and Govindham would also be saved by tonight.