Joshimath 'sinking': PMO to hold high-level meet with senior officials

The Prime Minister's office (PMO) has called a high-level meeting today afternoon at 3 pm to discuss the developments taking place in Uttarakhand's sinking town of Joshimath.

Principal Secretary to Prime Minister PK Mishra will chair the meeting with Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla. Four members of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will also attend the meeting and discuss the ongoing situation there. Meanwhile, district officials of Joshimath will also be present at the meeting through video conference.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday chaired a high-level meeting with the administration officials and public representatives at the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) campus regarding landslides and cracks in houses in Joshimath.

He also arrived in Joshimath to inspect the areas affected by the landslide and meet with the affected families.

"Joshimath is an important and cultural place for us. Our main motive is to save everyone. Experts are trying to get the reasons behind it. We are trying to keep people at safe locations," CM Pushkar Singh Dhami told reporters after visiting the affected areas in the town.

The town of Joshimath, which is situated en route to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib at an elevation of 6,000 feet in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, is in high-risk seismic "Zone-V." Residents of Joshimath have become alarmed after noticing fissures in the town's houses and roadways, which they described as the town "gradually sinking”.

According to District Disaster Management Officer NK Joshi, 561 houses have so far developed cracks in various parts of the town, including 153 in Ravigram, 127 in Gandhinagar, 71 in Manoharbagh, 52 in Singhdhar, 50 in Parsari, 29 in Upper Bazar, 27 in Suneel, 28 in Marwadi, and 24 in Lower Bazar.

Joshimath is the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib. It is known as the place where Adi Guru Shankaracharya subjected himself to penance centuries ago. A town of around 17,000 people, it is popular with tourists looking to trek parts of the Himalayas or ski in Auli.

Also Read: Joshimath Crisis: Hydropower project construction must be stopped, expert gives dire warning