Uttarakhand: Joshimath in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district which is situated at a height of 6000 feet and is a main passage for tourists traveling to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib was sinking due to land subsidence. It falls in high-risk seismic Zone-V.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has visited the town and has ordered the immediate evacuation of around 600 families living in endangered houses to safe locations. He said that saving lives is our priority. According to him, the Chamoli administration has made arrangements for temporary shelters of 70 rooms, 7 halls, and an auditorium with a capacity of 385 people. Not only this they also looked for safe locations in Pipalkoti and Gauchar areas, near Joshimath. Some hotels in the area have tipped over to other buildings. The tourists have been restricted to staying in hotels damaged by landslides. Along with this, work on the treatment of danger zones, sewers, and drainage should be done as soon as possible. He said that National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State DRF teams should be deployed, and helicopter facilities will be provided if required to save the lives of people.