Government declares Joshimath town as a disaster prone area

Uttarakhand Government has declared Joshimath as a disaster prone area. Two teams from the Central government have been sent to the town for inspection and other purposes. One of the teams includes members of Jal Shakti ministry.

Construction activities in the nearby area have been banned. Kits containing dry ration are being distributed to the affected people and families.

Back on Sunday, the Government declared some areas of Joshimath as a disaster-affected area, based on the recommendations of the experts who had been surveying the houses in the holy city to identify the causes of the landslides. The decision was taken late on Sunday evening.

Dr Ranjit Sinha,Disaster Management Secretary said that Pipalkoti, Gauchar, Koti Colony, among other places have been selected for the rehabilitation of the affected. The affected colonies have been evacuated. The Army had instructed the jawans, living in rented accommodations to vacate the premises, and they have been shifted to safer places.

After the series of landslides and cracks in houses intensified in Joshimath, a team of experts and scientists, led by Sinha was constituted by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

The team interacted with the locals, inspected the sites from Thursday, and submitted its report to the government after returning on Saturday evening.

Sinha said that several precautionary steps had been taken on the basis of the report.

Joshimath area has been declared disaster-prone. 2 teams of Central govt incl a team of Jal Shakti ministry are arriving here. Construction activities have been banned in Joshimath & nearby areas. Dry ration kits are being distributed to affected people: Chamoli DM #Uttarakhand pic.twitter.com/L69l2Q34FU

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 9, 2023

(With inputs from IANS)