PM office reviews ‘sinking’ Joshimath situation, says people’s safety priority
Central agencies and experts are helping Uttarakhand prepare plans to deal with a sinking Joshimath and the immediate priority is to ensure the safety of the people, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Sunday after a high-level review meeting.
The affected families are being shifted to safe locations, a statement from the PMO said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is concerned and has taken stock of the situation from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and four teams of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) are already in Joshimath, gripped in panic and alarm as the land continues to subside and cracks develop in hundreds of houses.
PK Mishra, the prime minister’s principal secretary who chaired the key meeting, stressed that the immediate priority should be the safety of those in the affected areas and said that the state should establish a clear and continuous line of communication with the residents.
The Border Management secretary and members of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) will visit Uttarakhand tomorrow.
A team of experts from the NDMA, the National Institute of Disaster Management, the Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, the National Institute of Hydrology and the Central Building Research Institute will study the situation and give recommendations, the PMO said.
Immediate efforts must be made to arrest the deteriorating situation through practical and feasible measures, Mishra said. An interdisciplinary investigation of the affected area should be undertaken, he added.
A clear time-bound reconstruction plan must be prepared and continuous seismic monitoring be done, he said, adding that a risk-sensitive urban development plan for the sacred city should be developed.
Joshimath is the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like the Badrinath and the Hemkund Sahib and the international skiing destination Auli.