A team from Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) that reached the 'sinking zone' in Joshimath on Monday to analyse the damages caused to buildings for compensation, will be submitting its report today.
Joshimath, part of the Chamoli district, which is located at a height of more than 6,000 feet, is currently witnessing land subsidence forcing the Uttarakhand government to shift the locals to safer places.
The number of subsidence-affected homes rose to 678 while 27 more families were evacuated to safety, the Disaster Management Authority in Chamoli said. It added that so far 82 families have been shifted to safe locations in the town. Earlier, the number of subsidence-affected homes was around 603.
The district administration has put red cross marks on more than 200 houses in the sinking town that are unsafe for living. It has asked occupants to either shift to the temporary relief centres or rented accommodation, for which each family will get an assistance of Rs 4,000 per month for the next six months from the Chief Minister's relief fund.
Meanwhile, officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Disaster Management Authority met Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to assess the situation in Joshimath and underlined the need for ascertaining the location of underground water accumulation in the subsidence zone.
Chief Secretary S S Sandhu held a meeting with officials at the state secretariat on Monday to review the situation in Joshimath and asked them to speed up the evacuation exercise to ensure the safety of residents as "every minute is important."
Personnel of the State Disaster Response Force have been deployed for relief and rescue efforts.
Recognising the grim situation, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dr P K Mishra held a high-level review of building damage and land subsidence in Joshimath on Sunday. He stressed that the immediate priorities for the state should be the safety of the people living in the affected area. In the meeting, it was also discussed that a clear time-bound reconstruction plan must be prepared and continuous seismic monitoring must be done.
Meanwhile, the Congress on Monday demanded that the land subsidence situation in Uttarakhand's Joshimath should be declared a national calamity. "The whole country is worried and is with the people of Joshimath due to unbridled "development" which has created cracks in Uttarakhand's Devsthal, Joshimath," Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said.
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