A DAY after holding a high-level meeting to tackle the fallout of land subsidence in Joshimath, which has led to cracks on roads and over 600 houses in the key transit town for tourists, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the affected areas Saturday and listed rehabilitation and relief work “on a war footing” as his government’s top priority. The state government also sanctioned Rs 1 crore from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which would be used mainly to help provide rent for the affected families. According to an official statement, the families whose houses are not safe to live in will be provided Rs 4,000 each for monthly rent over the next six months. Nearly 50 families have so far shifted temporarily to houses in safer locations, and more are expected to follow. After conducting a ground assessment, Dhami said arrangements are being made to shift the affected families while short and long-term steps are being taken to prevent land subsidence. With the issue triggering protests in Joshimath, and the Opposition Congress slamming the BJP government, Dhami also called on people not to engage in a blame game over the issue. “I have directed the authorities to ensure that work on the drainage plan is completed at the earliest. In yesterday’s assessment meeting, I said that we need not go into the departmental formalities and get direct approval from me to avoid the lengthy process. All the work on sewage and drainage is to be completed before the monsoons,” he said. “The important thing at this time is rehabilitation for all. For resettlement in future, we have identified and are working on two places - Pipalkoti and Gauchar. The entire government is with the people of Joshimath. After going back to Dehradun, we will appoint nodal officers and work on a war footing,” he said. Responding to questions about his meeting with environmental experts, Dhami said they have not reached a conclusion on what was causing the land subsidence. “We pray to God, I have come to visit Bhagwan Narsingh and prayed to him that this city of religious and spiritual importance stays safe. This is a border city and is significant in terms of tourism also. May God protect this city, bless us all and may this city stay safe,” he said. Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said that only a particular area of Joshimath has been affected and officials have been able to resettle people in hotels and homestays in safer areas of the town. He said that the affected families are being provided dry ration kits and cooked packaged food. Assessment work is being done in all wards and sectoral officers have been appointed, he said. On Friday, Dhami had issued a slew of directions after the high-level meeting with officials, from ensuring temporary centres at safe locations, aid camps and medical facilities to evacuating danger zones and activating the disaster control room. Located at a height of 6,000 feet in Chamoli, Joshimath falls in the high-risk seismic Zone-V and is a hub for tourists travelling to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib. According to the government’s statement, Dhami directed officials to ensure all facilities in relief shelters and draw up plans at the sectoral and zonal levels. He asked them to identify the danger zones and ensure immediate evacuation of those affected. Later in the day, the Chief Minister held a meeting with senior officials at the Disaster Operation Center in the Dehradun Secretariat.
