Joshimath crisis: Several government institutions, including ISRO, have been instructed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Uttarakhand government not to interact with the media or share information on social media on the situation in Joshimath without prior permission.
The directive came after satellite images released by the Indian Space Research Organization showed a rapid rate of subsidence in Joshimath between December 27 and January 8, raising concerns over the situation, even as Uttarakhand minister Dhan Singh Rawat said on Saturday that ISRO’s images were taken back. Rawat said ISRO has not issued any official statement based on the images.
He told reporters, “I had seen satellite images of Joshimath on ISRO’s website. I spoke to ISRO director and asked him why he is not issuing an official statement in this regard. Now I am told that the images has been withdrawn.”
The minister, who reached Joshimath to take stock of the situation, said, “Situation is returning to normal in Joshimath. There is no need for anyone to panic.”
People should not interact with media and share data on social media
The NDMA in its communication to heads of organizations and institutions on Friday said that it has been observed that various government institutions are releasing data related to the subject on social media platforms as well as interacting with the media with their interpretation of the situation. are doing. The NDMA said that the statements on Joshimath are creating confusion not only among the affected residents but also among the citizens of the country.
It has been said that the people associated with them should not talk to the media about the land subsidence in Joshimath and should not share the data on social media.
NDMA asked organizations to sensitize their experts about the matter and said that they should refrain from posting anything on media platforms till the final report of the expert group is released by NDMA.
In a similar communication, the Uttarakhand government apprised the organizations that some institutions and agencies are publishing and uploading information or reports about Joshimath without proper permission from the competent authorities, adversely affecting the ground situation. Along with creating panic in the community. , The media is also promoting it openly.
The letter states that organizations should take prior permission from the concerned central ministries or the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority before publishing or uploading any such reports or information.
Political war breaks out over “filtered report”
The Congress condemned the alleged gag order. “Instead of resolving the crisis and finding solutions to people’s problems, government agencies are banning ISRO’s reports and preventing their officers from interacting with the media. Narendra Modi ji, ‘Do Not Shoot’ The Messenger’,” tweeted Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge.
AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “They make one constitutional body attack another. Now, the National Disaster Management Authority tells ISRO to shut up.”
Official sources said the advisory is not aimed at denying information to the media but to avoid confusion as multiple institutions are involved in the process and are giving their own interpretation of the situation.
What leads to controversy?
Concerns grew on Friday after ISRO released satellite images of Joshimath that showed the Himalayan town sank at a rapid rate of 5.4 cm in just 12 days, starting with a possible subsidence event on January 2.
A preliminary study shared by ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) on its website states that the land subsidence was slow between April and November 2022, during which Joshimath sank by 8.9 cm.
Images are no longer available on the website.
Communications from NDMA and the state government have been sent to Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, Geological Survey of India (GSI), National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) of ISRO, Hyderabad, Central Ground Water Board (CGWB). New Delhi, Surveyor General of India, Dehradun and Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun. It has also been sent to National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee, National Institute of Disaster Management, New Delhi and Uttarakhand State Disaster Management. authority.
(With inputs from PTI)