Joshimath land subsidence: Admin launches rescue, rehabilitation ops

With the land subsidence continuing at the Joshimath town of Uttarakhand, the district administration has launched relief and rescue operations in the area.

Garhwal Commissioner of Police Sushil Kumar said that he visited the affected areas last night.

"I will visit the affected areas today also after meeting with the affected people along with the Disaster Management Secretary," he added.

The tourists have been banned from staying in the hotels damaged by land subsidence and the operation of the ropeway going from Joshimath to Auli has also been stopped in a view of public safety.

Notably, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said he would hold a high-level meeting in Dehradun this evening.

"I will hold a high-level meeting with top officials in Dehradun this evening regarding landslides in Joshimath and cracks in houses," Uttarakhand CM said while talking to ANI.

Apart from the officials of the Disaster, Irrigation, Home Department, Commissioner Garhwal Mandal and District Magistrate Chamoli will also participate in the meeting.

Dhami further said that he would visit Joshimath on Saturday and take stock of the situation.

Residents of Joshimath, a sacred town in Uttarakhand, have become alarmed after noticing fissures in the town's houses and roadways and have been evacuated and shifted to night shelters of the municipality by the administration.

The affected people, their families, and children are currently living in night shelters, officials said.

The locals said that the people affected by the landslide, have been assured by the government that they will get pre-fabricated houses. However, they are worried about when the houses will be allotted to them.

Cracks have reportedly developed in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of continued land subsidence in the town, stated the District Disaster Management Department.

Following the appearance of cracks in the houses, a total of 66 families are reported to have migrated from Joshimath as of now.

According to an official statement, engineers from the Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute, and IIT Roorkee have been included in the team formed on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.