Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 3: It was a nightmare experience for a four-member family from this winter capital of the State, who had a close encounter and returned to their native places here after escaping from Uttarakhand disaster.
Ashwani Sharma, his wife Anita Sharma and children Shubham 16 and Ashnita 15, resident of Malhotra Mohalla are still feeling scared while memorizing the agony they had faced during their visit to Badrinath and every time in their prayers they thank the almighty for helping them in returning home safely.
“We left Jammu on June 14 and next day we were on way to Badrinath to perform pilgrimage but fortunately, we had a halt on the way,” Anita here told reporters.
She said their family was just 35-kilometres short of Badrinath when they had to stay in a ‘Muth’ (Hindu monastery) as it grew dark.
“On June 16, it was raining heavily and suddenly we came to know about the flash floods and landslides,” she said they also got trapped in the disaster as road from both the sides got washed away due to flash floods.
“Having no option except staying in the ‘Muth’ due to no road connectivity,” she added after another day’s halt, they decided to return back to Jammu.
“We faced a lot of hardships while returning back to our native place as being outsiders, we were not aware of the roads and the topography of the area,” said the Uttarakhand victim.The lady with fear in her eyes while thanking God with folded hands expressed that some of the local drivers guided them about the road link towards Nainital, connecting Haridwar.
“They followed the road, which was very dangerous and passed through dense forest with no provision of highway lights but we somehow managed to reach Haridwar,” added Anita. After passing through tough terrains and facing ups and downs, the family reached Jammu after a gap of eight days.
“There was no link with our loved ones in Jammu during these days, they all were worried and were making all efforts to locate us,” she said.
Anita added the family was full of joy on seeing them back home and everyone hugged them and welcomed them with sweets and prayers.
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