Joshimath Subsidence: Resettlement Packages Are Being Prepared For The Affected, Says Chamoli DM

Chamoli DM Himanshu Khurana has said that people affected by the Joshimath Subsidence tragedy will be getting resettlement and rehabilitation packages.

The resettlement and rehabilitation package for the people affected in subsidence-hit Joshimath is being prepared keeping in mind the interests of stakeholders, an official said on Saturday. Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana who met the affected families staying in relief camps in Joshimath on Friday night said the stakeholders want to be compensated in different ways.

"Some want cash compensation, some have their land where they want to build houses while others want to be relocated elsewhere within Joshimath,” he said.

"We have to keep all this in mind while preparing a resettlement or rehabilitation package so that it is in everybody's interest and is sustainable," the DM said, asserting that the arrangements at the relief camps are "good".

Khurana said, "I had dinner there and interacted with people. The arrangements are fine and the food being served to them is good." Meanwhile, the evacuation of the affected people continues with 185 families shifted to relief centres so far, Chamoli district disaster management authority said.

The number of houses that have developed cracks stands at 760 out of which 147 are marked unsafe, it said.

Moving Step By Step To Address Land Subsidence Problem In Joshimath: Uttarakhand CM

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said his government is moving step by step to address the issues of subsidence-hit Joshimath town in Chamoli district.

"Our biggest priority now is to provide quick relief to the affected people and evacuate them to safety," he said.

"The affected families are being shifted to safer places. The demarcation of the affected buildings is going on continuously. Teams of geologists and experts are engaged in investigating the causes of land subsidence in the town," the chief minister added.

The administration is in constant touch with the affected people, he said, adding that basic facilities are being provided to them at the relief camps.

Dhami said the decisions taken by the state cabinet on Friday are in the larger interest of those affected by land subsidence.

The Uttarakhand cabinet announced a slew of measures on Friday to provide relief to the people of the hill town, including a six-month waiver of electricity and water bills and a one-year moratorium on the recovery of bank loans.

"In this hour of calamity, we stand with the affected people and no one should have any doubt about it. We are working for their rehabilitation and settlement according to their expectations. The prime minister himself and his office are constantly monitoring the situation," Dhami said.

Joshimath, the gateway to famous pilgrimage centres such as Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence.

A total of 185 families living in the town have so far been shifted to relief centres after houses and other structures developed cracks.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)