Joshimath land subsidence: Monitoring situation every day, says CM Pushkar Dhami

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 19 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a review meeting on Joshimath relief work with officials on Thursday at the state secretariat and said that he is monitoring the situation every day.

The Chief Minister on Thursday while speaking to ANI stated that the state officials have been monitoring the situation in Joshimath every day. The water discharge which was at 570 lpm (litres per minute) has reduced to 100 lpm now.

He said, “To understand the land subsidence and the calamity, eight organisations of the government are working towards it. Every organisation will file its report. Then with the help of NDMA, a proper report would be made after analysing all the reports. On the basis of which, the water treatment would be planned.”

“For the relocation, new regions and areas are being searched and analysed. Both Central and state governments are committed to the betterment of the people. Though the calamity is natural, we will work in every way to help the people,” added Dhami.

Dhami appreciated the well-wishers of the state but also requested them to not spread any kind of misinformation regarding the situation in Joshimath.
“People who are making their comments on Joshimath do not know the ground situation. I request them to use social media and Tweet in a responsible way.

People are advised not to make any unnecessary comments about Joshimath that might cause panic among the people,” said the Chief Minister.

On Wednesday, Dhami gave a detailed account of the Joshimath operation to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in a half-an-hour meeting at the ministry.
While interacting with the press post his meeting, the Chief Minister announced the Char Dham Yatra that will begin in the next four months.

Dhami also stated that the Home Minister assured every help would be given to the state by the Centre when he was told about the situation of the people living in the disaster relief camps.

No report was submitted to the Home Ministry as a complete report on the issue is still awaited, said the Uttarakhand CM.

He also denied claims made by several political parties accusing the Uttarakhand government of suppressing reports about the Joshimath issue.

Due to land subsidence in the Joshimath city area, over 720 houses have been identified that developed cracks. Residents, as a part of the rehabilitation, have been moved to safer places even as geologists and experts scramble to ascertain the reasons for subsidence in the ecologically fragile region.

District Magistrate of Chamoli district, Himanshu Khurana while interacting with ANI said, “We are seeking suggestions from the people for places where we should relocate them and establish a new Joshimath.”

The Uttarakhand government has also ordered the authorities to start surveying and dismantling the infrastructure posing a threat to the surrounding buildings.
Along with Joshimath, the same phenomenon of land subsidence is also being reported from other areas of Uttarakhand including Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pauri and Karanprayag.

The state government has also declared a relief package for nearly 3,000 families affected by gradual land subsidence in the Himalayan state.

The Chief Minister has also announced that Rs 50,000 has been given by the state disaster authority to each family as a non-adjustable one-time special grant for the transportation of goods and immediate needs of their buildings.