The 'sinking' town has been declared a disaster-prone zone
Buildings that have developed cracks and are badly damaged in Uttarakhand's Joshimath will be demolished from today to protect adjoining buildings, officials have said,
Here Are The Top 10 Updates On Uttarakhand's Joshimath
Joshimath has been divided into three zones, 'Danger', 'Buffer', and 'Completely Safe', based on the magnitude of danger from land subsidence or the sinking or settling of the ground surface.
A total of 678 buildings in 'sinking Joshimath' have developed cracks, officials said. The ones that are most damaged will be demolished.
Besides several houses in the danger zone, two hotels - Mount View and Malari Inn - which are leaning towards each other will also be brought down.
The 'sinking' town has been declared a disaster-prone zone and construction activities have been banned in Joshimath and nearby areas. "It seems 30 per cent of Joshimath is affected. A report is being compiled by an expert committee and it would be submitted to the Prime Minister's Office," an official said.
About 4,000 people have been shifted to safer areas after a satellite survey. "Basic facilities in the relief camps arranged for the affected people in Joshimath are being constantly inspected by the administration and all possible help is being extended to the affected people," said Chamoli district magistrate Himanshu Khurana.
The demolition of the damaged houses was recommended by an expert panel tasked by the centre to assess the sinking of the ground surface in Joshimath. Experts have blamed unplanned infrastructure development, including hydropower projects, for the alarming situation.
The demolition will be carried out under the supervision of a team from the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), while National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been called in to assist them.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has appealed to everyone to work as a team and save the town. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also assured full support to the state government.
Residents have said they wrote to the Chief Minister thrice last month, alerting him about the impact of the blasts in the tunnels of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) project. NTPC has denied any links between its project and the situation in Joshimath.
Joshimath is called the "winter seat" of Lord Badrinath, whose idol is brought down from the main Badrinath temple to Vasudeva temple in the town every winter. It is also the gateway to the Sikh holy shrine Hemkund Sahib.
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