Dehradun: The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday asked the state government to strictly enforce the ban on construction in Joshimath. Hearing a PIL on the crisis, a division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Alok Kumar Verma directed the government to form a committee of independent experts to look into the matter. The court has directed the state government to include Disaster Management Authority CEO Piyush Rautela and MPS Bisht in the committee. The court has directed that the committee will present its report in a sealed cover before the court within two months.
During the hearing, the counsel for the state government and the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) said that the government is very serious about the matter. The government is taking the help of Wadia Institute experts regarding the landslide.”
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday chaired a meeting with all stakeholders on the issue of land subsidence in Joshimath. During the meeting, the Chief Minister interacted with the Army, ITBP, NDRF, scientists from various establishments engaged in landslide investigation, district administration, police and district level officers associated with essential services at Sunil Camp of ITBP.