Woman waits for husband missing since Uttarakhand tragedy

A woman is still waiting for the return of her husband, who went missing in the flash floods in Uttarakhand though a year has passed since then.

"My heart says he will return soon," says 40-year-old Snehalata, who got separated from her husband Dwarikanath Panda in the devastating floods.

The couple and their son Hanuman Prasad of Sidheswara village had gone for 'chardham' darshan along with a few others from Odisha's Ganjam district. At least 13 of them went missing after the floods.

While Hanuman united with his mother two days after the devastation, they could not trace Dwarikanath despite a thorough search. He and his brother have gone to Uttarakhand at least four times in the last one year with the hope to bring back their father.

"We hope he is alive and will come home one day," said Gopichandra, another son of Dwarikanath.

"A police official of Uttarakhand government came and handed over the death certificate. But we have not got any compensation so far," he adds.

"We have not seen body of my father. How can I say he is no more ?" asked Hanuman.

Snehalata, who had sustained fractures in the calamity, is still in trauma. She is undergoing treatment at a private nursing home in Visakhapatnam.

P Bijay Kumar Patra, another resident of Berhampur lost his mother and eight of his relatives. The family members are still hoping they would come back one day though Uttarakhand government has already handed over the death certificates to them.

Patra too said the family has got the certificates, but not the compensation.

"We survived the calamity. It could be possible only by grace of god," said P Laxmi Jyoti, who along with his relative Siba, resident of Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district had gone on pilgrimage to the northern state.