New Delhi: Uttarakhand government has officially declared Joshimath a ‘landslide-subsidence zone’ in view of the growing threat of land sinking resulting in cracks in several houses and roads. Over 68 families living in the sinking town have been evacuated to temporary relief centres so far and at least 90 more families are yet to be shifted, news agency PTI reported.
According to the report, the local administration has set up relief centres at four-five places in the hill town and Chamoli District Magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana went on door-to-door survey to take stock of the extent of damage.
Garhwal Commissioner Sushil Kumar, who has been camping in Joshimath since Thursday, heads a panel tasked with monitoring the situation on ground level.
There are 4,500 buildings in Joshimath and 603 of them have developed huge cracks, making them unfit for habitation, Kumar said.
He added that the affected area, including houses with cracks earlier and the ones damaged recently, forms a big arch that could be spread over 1.5 km.
Some buildings, including a few hotels, gurdwara and two inter-colleges have been acquired to serve as makeshift shelters that can accommodate around 1,500 people, Kumar said.
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"Land subsidence has been going on slowly in Joshimath for quite some time but it has increased over the past week with huge cracks appearing in houses, fields and roads," Kumar said, adding, "The situation worsened apparently after a water channel beneath the town erupted last week."
The Uttarakhand government will pay Rs 4,000 per month for up to six months to those who want to move to rented accommodations, Kumar said. The government has also asked the people not to risk their lives by choosing to continue living in the damaged houses.
Meanwhile, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Office, PK Mishra, held a high-level review meeting on the Joshimath situation on Sunday.
Secretary of Border Management and members of the National Disaster Management Authority will visit Uttarakhand on Monday and assess the situation.
Team of experts from National Disaster Management Authority, National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology and Central Building Research Institute will study and give their recommendations on the current situation.
During the meeting, Mishra was apprised that the central agencies and experts are assisting the Uttarakhand government to prepare short, medium and long term plans. One team of NDRF and four teams of SDRF are already deployed in Joshimath.
Notably, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who visited the affected areas on Saturday, held a meeting with officials after returning and asked them to relax norms to speed up the relief operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also spoken to CM Dhami over the situation in Joshimath, officials in the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.
PM Modi sought updates on land subsidence and the steps taken so far for the safety and rehabilitation of residents, CMO said.