Joshimath land subsidence: Relief amount of Rs 439 lakh distributed to 750 people whose houses developed cracks

Joshimath (Uttarakhand) [India], February 2 (ANI): Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana on Thursday said that as advance relief to the affected families in Joshimath, relief amount of Rs 439.03 lakh was distributed to 750 affected people whose houses had developed cracks due to land subsidence.

The other relief measures include a special rehabilitation package, a one-time special grant for the transportation of goods and immediate needs and the purchase of household items, Khurana said. Chamoli District Magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khurana on Thursday conducted an on-site inspection of the prefabricated shelters being constructed for the rehabilitation of the affected families migrating due to land subsidence.

The District Magistrate also directed the executive body to fast-track and complete the construction work as soon as possible.
Powered ByVDO.AIPlayUnmuteFullscreenWork for temporary rehabilitation, pre-fabricated shelters, for the affected families has been started by Central Building Research Institution (CBRI), Roorkee. It is building one BHK, two BHK and three BHK model prototype prefabricated shelters in Dhak village, Chamoli on the land located near Horticulture Department, HDRI.

Secretary Disaster Management, Ranjit Kumar Sinha, said, “After selection of land for construction of model prototype prefabricated shelters of one BHK, two BHK and three BHK in Dhak village, Chamoli, work has been started for land levelling, arrangement of electricity, water, sewer etc. If required, the option of arranging accommodation for the displaced families in the hostels of Bhararisain Legislative Assembly has been kept open.”

Sinha said that an amount of Rs 3.45 crore has been distributed to 261 affected families in Joshimath as interim relief. Earlier on January 28, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) informed that the number of buildings with cracks has not increased and till now 863 buildings with cracks have been noticed due to the disaster. Hundreds of residents were shifted to relief centres in safe places after cracks appeared at several homes in Joshimath, suggesting subsidence.

The Uttarakhand government has already announced relief packages worth crores for the affected families of Joshimath. In January, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the relief package has been released for nearly 3,000 families affected by gradual land subsidence in the Himalayan state.

The Chief Minister 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.