Residents of 'unsafe' buildings in subsidence-hit Karnaprayag to be shifted

Chamoli's District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana has ordered the evacuation of people living in "unsafe" houses in subsidence-hit areas of Karnaprayag to safer locations.

Khurana, who visited the affected parts of the town, including Bahuguna Nagar, Subhash Nagar and Upper Bazar on Sunday, said some of the buildings have become quite uninhabitable.

Around 30 buildings in Karnaprayag have developed cracks and eight of them are absolutely unsafe, he said.

Like Joshimath, Karnaprayag has also been in the grip of a land subsidence problem for more than a year

Officials have been asked to shift the people living in such houses to safer locations, Khurana said.

Those who choose to live in houses on rent will be paid the rent amount for six months, the DM said.

Crack metres have been installed in the houses to find out whether the existing cracks are widening and new ones developing, he said.

"It was a preliminary first-hand examination carried out on Sunday during which I visited the endangered buildings and talked to residents. A detailed survey of the subsidence-affected areas of Karnaprayag will also be conducted soon," Khurana said.

Arrangements are being made to distribute relief material among the affected people from the SDRF fund, the DM said.