VIPs may be denied permission to land in flood-hit Uttarakhand

Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday advised VIPs not to visit rain-ravaged Uttarakhand saying such visits created difficulties in relief and rescue operations.

"We advise all VIPs not to visit Uttarakhand now. All agencies are engaged in relief and rescue efforts...Such visits hamper their works," he told reporters in New Delhi.

Shinde's advise came on a day when Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was visiting the disaster-hit hill state. The home minister said if any VIP does not listen to the advice he may not be given landing permission in Uttarakhand.

A stream of VIPs have visited Uttarakhand in the wake of the natural disaster to oversee relief and rescue operations.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi have made aerial visit to the hill state, while Shinde himself, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Haryana), Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan have visited the state in the last few days to review relief operations. Representatives of several other state governments too have toured Uttarakhand.

Image: Vehicles are pictured in the flooded waters of a stream after heavy rains in Uttarakhand'Photograph: Reuters