UttarakhandJoshimath has been declared a landslide-prone zone and over 60 families living in damaged houses in the sinking town have been moved to temporary relief centres, a senior official said on Sunday. At least 90 more families are to be evacuated. Garhwal commissioner Sushil Kumar said the local administration has set up relief centers at four-five places in the Himalayan town. Meanwhile, Chamoli District Magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana appealed for door-to-door visits to relief centers in the affected area to assess the extent of damage.
Joshimath has been declared a landslide-subsidence zone. Kumar told PTI that more than 60 families living in abandoned houses have been shifted to temporary relief centres. He added that considering the extent of the damage, at least 90 more families would have to be evacuated at the earliest.
Mr Kumar, who has been camping in Joshimath since Thursday, heads a committee monitoring the situation on the ground. He said that there are a total of 4,500 buildings in Joshimath and out of these, 610 have developed major cracks, making them uninhabitable.
He said a survey is underway and the number of buildings affected may increase. Mr Kumar said the affected area, which had cracks earlier and was damaged recently, forms a large arch that may span 1.5 km.
Temporary relief centers have been set up at four-five safe places in Joshimath. He said some more buildings, including some hotels, a gurudwara and two inter colleges, have been acquired to serve as temporary shelters, which can accommodate around 1,500 people.
The Garhwal commissioner said, “The land subsidence has been happening slowly in Joshimath for quite some time, but in the last one week it has increased and huge cracks are visible in houses, fields and roads.”
“The situation worsened after a water channel burst under the town last week,” he said. He said that at present the priority is to evacuate the affected people to safer places. Mr Kumar said that long-term solutions ranging from reconstruction to retrofitting are being explored to deal with the situation.
Chamoli DM Khurana took stock of the affected area. He said people have been asked to move out of unsafe and habitable houses as arrangements for their stay have been made at hotels, homestays and other safe places.
The state government will pay Rs 4,000 per month for six months to those who want to move to rented accommodation, he said, asking people not to put their lives at risk by opting to continue living in damaged houses.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who visited the affected areas in Joshimath on Saturday, held a meeting with officials here after his return and sought relaxation of norms to expedite relief work.
He said that he was asked not to get involved in long procedural complications and to take clearance directly from him for work related to drainage treatment and sewage system in Joshimath.
Officials in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Mr Dhami over phone to take stock of the situation in Joshimath. He said that the Prime Minister sought information about the land subsidence in the town and the steps taken so far for the safety and rehabilitation of the residents.
He said the PM is personally monitoring the situation at Joshimath – known as the gateway to Badrinath, Hemkund Sahib and famous skiing destination Auli.
National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad and Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun have been asked to study Joshimath through satellite imagery and submit a detailed report with photographs.
The Geological Survey of India has also been asked to examine the suitability of the land of Koti Farm, Herbal Institute and Horticulture Department for rehabilitation purposes in the Semaldala area of Joshimath and Pipalkoti.