Joshimath sinking: The Centre has set up a panel to conduct a ‘rapid study’ of the occurrence of land subsidence and its impact on temple town Joshimath. On Friday, the Ministry of Jal Shakti issued an office memorandum, which stated that the committee will have representatives from the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Central Water Commission, Geological Survey of India, and National Mission for Clean Ganga, according to the news agency PTI.
On the other hand, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has already ordered the immediate evacuation of around 600 families living in houses in Joshimath, which have developed huge cracks and are at risk. On Friday, he said that saving the lives of those affected is his priority.
The chief minister is scheduled to visit Joshimath on Saturday and look into the matter and meet the affected people.
“Saving lives is our first priority. Officials have been asked to shift around 600 families living in endangered houses in Joshimath to safe locations," Dhami told reporters on Friday after reviewing the situation in the sinking town with officials via video conference.
"Joshimath should be divided into sectors and zones and action should be taken accordingly. A disaster control room should also be set up in the town," the chief minister said.
For permanent rehabilitation of affected people, alternative locations should be identified in Pipalkoti, Gauchar, and other places, he said.
Dhami said Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar and secretary disaster management Ranjit Kumar Sinha along with a team of experts are already in the town and closely looking into the situation. He also declared that the state government will give Rs 4,000 per family for six months under the Chief Minister Relief Fund as a relief.
Besides, the state government has also dispatched teams of experts to assess the situation in the area, which includes geologists, building specialists, and other experts.
Other developments
1. Joshimath, which is at a height of 6,000 feet in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand between Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, is in seismically active Zone V, and is prone to massive earthquakes. Residents of Joshimath have become alarmed after noticing fissures in the town's houses and roadways, which they described as the town "gradually sinking".
2. An abandoned temple collapsed in the Singdhar ward of Joshimath on Friday. There were no casualties. The incident further alarmed residents living under constant fear of a major disaster in the offing.
3. Disaster management officials said that huge cracks have appeared in many houses and nearly 50 families have been moved to safer locations
4. Several houses there were damaged and have developed cracks, where water from the aquifer is constantly flowing down with great force.
5. Teams from NDRF have also been deployed in the area as a precautionary measure, Chamoli Chief Development Officer (CDO) Lalit Narayan Mishra said on Friday.
6. All construction activities related to mega projects like the Chardham all-weather road and the NTPC’s hydel project have been stopped till further orders.
7. The district administration has put a ban on the construction of the Helang bypass by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), work on the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project, and other construction work.
8. Meanwhile, protests continued on Friday as people staged a dharna at the tehsil office of Joshimath demanding rehabilitation.
9. As Joshimath's subsidence seemed to aggravate, even the BJP sent a team to the town to assess the situation.