Chamoli Avalanche

• 03 Mar 2025

Why in News? 

On 1^st March 2025, Uttarakhand Chief Minister conducted an aerial survey of the areas affected by the avalanche near Mana village in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. 

• He also visited Joshimath, met the injured Border Roads Organisation (BRO) workers rescued from the site. 

 Key Points 

• Rescue Operations in Mana Avalanche: 
  • Rescue teams have successfully saved 47 out of 55 BRO workers trapped under snow. 
  • Eight workers remain trapped, and rescue operations are still underway. 
  • Authorities have deployed four Army helicopters to aid in the rescue efforts. 
• Government and Administrative Efforts: 
  • It was confirmed that four helicopters, arranged with the help of the Centre and the State Government, have joined the rescue mission. 
  • Seven rescued workers have been transported to Joshimath Hospital for treatment. 
  • Doctors are monitoring their condition, and three of them are reported stable. 
• Joint Efforts by Security Forces: 
  • The avalanche, which struck near Mana village, buried several BRO workers under snow. 
  • Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Indian Army, and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) are conducting joint rescue operations on a war footing. 

Border Road Organisation 

• About: 
  • BRO was conceived and raised in 1960 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru for coordinating the speedy development of a network of roads in the North and the North Eastern border regions of the country. 
  • It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence. 
  • It has diversified into a large spectrum of construction and development works comprising airfields, building projects, defence works and tunneling and has endeared itself to the people. 
• Achievements so far: 
  • The BRO, in more than six decades, has constructed over 61,000 kms of roads, over 900 Bridges, four Tunnels and 19 airfields under challenging conditions along India’s borders and in friendly foreign countries, including Bhutan, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. 
  • In 2022-23, the BRO completed 103 infrastructure projects, the most by the organisation in a single year. 
    • These include construction of Shyok Bridge in Eastern Ladakh and Steel Arch Siyom Bridge of Load Class 70 in Arunachal Pradesh on Along-Yinkiong Road.  

 Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) 

• The ITBP was established on 24^th October, 1962. 
• It is responsible for guarding the Indo-Tibetan border and the mountainous regions of the 3,488 km long India-China border, monitoring the northern borders of India. 
• In 2004, the ITBP replaced the Assam Rifles in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The force secures the Indo-China border across the following states: 
  • Jammu & Kashmir 
  • Himachal Pradesh 
  • Uttarakhand 
  • Sikkim 
  • Arunachal Pradesh 

 National Disaster Relief Fund 

• National Calamity Contingency Fund (NCCF) was renamed as National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) with the enactment of the Disaster Management Act, 2005. 
  • It is defined in Section 46 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DM Act). 
• It is managed by the Central Government to meet the expenses for emergency response, relief and rehabilitation due to any threatening disaster situation or disaster. 
  • It supplements the SDRF in case of a disaster of a severe nature, provided adequate funds are not available in the SDRF.