Joshimath land 'sinking': Uttarakhand CM orders officials to set up rehabilitation centre, activate disaster control room

Joshimath land sinking: Uttrakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday directed officials to set up a temporary rehabilitation centre at a safe place in Joshimath. He said that sector and zonal wise planning should be made in Joshimath. The Chief Minister instructed that the danger zone should be vacated immediately and the disaster control room should be activated in Joshimath without delay.

Dehradun: In view of land subsidence in the holy town of Joshimath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday gave instructions to set up a big temporary rehabilitation centre in the town. Chief Minister Dhami chaired a high-level meeting at the Secretariat. He directed officials to set up a temporary rehabilitation centre at a safe place in Joshimath. He said that sector and zonal wise planning should be made in Joshimath. The Chief Minister also instructed that those in danger zone should be vacated immediately and the disaster control room should be activated in Joshimath without delay.

Apart from Uttarakhand Chief Secretary, DGP, Disaster, Irrigation & Home Department officials, IG SDRF, Commissioner Garhwal Division and District Magistrate Chamoli are also participating in this high-level meeting being held in Dehradun.

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After land subsidence was reported in Joshimath, the Chamoli district administration on Friday instructed to immediately deploy a team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in the town. A team of experts, including officials from the administration and State Disaster Management, conducted a door-to-door survey in the areas which were affected by the land subsidence in Uttarakhand`s Joshimath.

Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar and Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha started the door-to-door survey in Joshimath. The administration has authorised all the technical personnel of the Project Implementation Unit division, Public Works Department, working in the Badrinath Master Plan till further orders, for immediate assessment of the buildings, hotels and other structures in the affected areas.

Out of 561 establishments, 153 in Ravigram ward, 127 in the Gandhinagar ward, 28 in the Marwadi ward, 24 in the Lower Bazaar ward, 52 in the Singhdhar ward, 71 in the Manohar Bagh ward, 29 in the Upper Bazaar ward 27 in the Sunil ward and 50 in Parsari reported cracks, according to Chamoli district administration statement.

The operations of Hotel View and Malari Inn were restricted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, till further orders, the statement added. The Chamoli district administration on Thursday asked Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (HCC) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to be prepared to shelter the affected families migrating from Uttarakhand`s Joshimath due to land subsidence. 

Temple collapses in Joshimath

A temple collapsed in Singdhar ward of the Himalayan town of Joshimath, further alarming residents living under constant fear of a major disaster in the offing. According to local residents, there was no one inside the temple when the incident occurred as it had been abandoned after it developed huge cracks over the past 15 days.

Seventy-seven families have left their homes and shifted to safer places. The NTPC`s Tapovan-Vishnugarh hydropower project and the Marwadi-Helang bypass motor road have been shut with immediate effect, till further orders by the administration.

Along with this, the Joshimath-Auli ropeway has been closed citing security reasons. A ban has also been imposed on the construction work being carried out in the city areas. The district administration has issued orders to the NTPC and HCC companies to prepare 2,000 pre-fabricated houses each, in advance, as a precautionary measure to shift the affected families.

Arrangements have been made by the administration for them to stay at the municipality, block, BKTC guest house, GIC, Gurudwara, Inter College, ITI Tapovan and other safe places. 

The buildings which are in danger due to increasing landslides are being identified to prevent loss of life. Nodal officers have been given the responsibility of arranging water, electricity, food, toilets and other basic facilities in the relief camps. The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the NDRF have been alerted to deal with the landslides.