September 14 was an unforgettable day for 61-year-old K. Kanakarajan, a resident of Chidambaram, who had gone on a pilgrimage to Uttarakhand this month. “As we were travelling from Tawaghat to Dharchula, about 200 metres away from our van, we witnessed a landslip. Today, as I returned home, I feel truly surreal that we all survived the incident and made it back safely,” he says.
He was among the 17 persons who arrived at the Chennai airport on Tuesday morning. A group of 13 more persons will reach the city by train around 3. 30 p.m. on Wednesday. Three Ministers are expected to receive them at Egmore.
On September 1, a group of 30 persons from Chidambaram set out on a pilgrimage to Uttarakhand via Chennai and New Delhi. While they had visited the temples, they faced numerous setbacks as they were preparing to return to Chennai in the wake of the heavy rain and landslips in Uttarakhand. “We kept shuttling from one place to another, trying to return to Dharchula. At one point, we got stranded at Budhi village and sought help from the Tamil Nadu government. Finally, a helicopter arrived and we were taken to Dharchula, and subsequently reached New Delhi,” he said.
He vividly recollects how the Army provided them with food and even carried him in the last leg of the journey, as he had an injury.
After they reached New Delhi, the Tamil Nadu government had made arrangements for food and for the return travel [to Chennai] of all the 30 persons, N. Subramaniam, a 76-year-old resident of Chidambaram who was a part of the 30-member group, recalled. But of them, 17 wanted to leave immediately by flight and landed in the airport on Tuesday. The others are coming by train, Mr. Subramaniam added.
He further said that he would never forget, in his lifetime, the help rendered by the Army and the Tamil Nadu government. “It was a very difficult and a dangerous journey. It was only when we reached New Delhi that we heaved a sigh of relief,” Mr. Subramaniam, who is on his way to Chennai aboard the Sampark Kranti Express, says.
Published – September 18, 2024 03:07 am IST