Disaster management officials call on Uttarakhand CM, discuss relief operations in wake of Joshimath land subsidence

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], January 9 : Officials of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) called on Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at the Chief Minister's residence on Monday and discussed the relief and rescue operations that raised after landslides in Joshimath.
The officials assured the Chief Minister of the investigation into the geographical condition of the Joshimath area and the causes of the landslide and central help in disaster relief.
According to an official statement, the NDMA members suggested that it was that it is necessary to find out where the water is stagnant in the Bhudhsaon area and what are the reasons for the Bhudhsaav.
They also suggested that attention should be paid to the geological survey of the places selected for the rehabilitation of disaster victims.
"An action plan should also be made towards a permanent solution to this problem and the action taken on the reports given by all the institutions in this regard should be under one roof so that the study reports get a quick benefit," the statement said.
Chief Minister Dhami said that Joshimath has cultural, mythological as well as strategic importance and is the gateway to Badrinath, adding that it will need concerted efforts to bring this city back to its former form.
"The state government is helping the disaster victims on a war footing. Continuous efforts are being made to ensure that no victim faces any difficulty and they get all the necessary facilities," the Chief Minister said.
Meanwhile, a team from the Ministry of Home Affairs will visit Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli, where land subsidence has occurred, district magistrate, Himanshu Khurana said on Monday. The official said that the work of demolition of buildings will be started tomorrow.
"Today a team from the Ministry of Jal Shakti had come, tomorrow also a team from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India will come to Joshimath. The work of demolition of buildings will be started from tomorrow under the supervision of the team of Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee," Khurana said.
The areas where the buildings will be demolished have been vacated by the administration after they were declared unsafe zone.
"People's belongings are being shifted with the help of SDRF personnel on the spot. People are getting very sad and emotional as they evacuate their homes," sources said.
Meanwhile, District Disaster Management Authority, Chamoli has issued a bulletin related to disaster management in view of landslides happening in the Joshimath area.
According to the bulletin, cracks have been noticed in a total of 678 buildings in the Joshimath town area. In view of security, a total of 81 families have been temporarily displaced.
"Under Joshimath city area, 213 rooms have been temporarily identified as habitable, whose capacity has been estimated at 1191, along with this, 491 rooms/halls have been identified in Pipalkoti outside Joshimath area, whose capacity is 2,205," the bulletin said.
The administration has also distributed food kits and blankets to the affected families as per their requirements along with the distribution of funds for essential household items at the rate of Rs 5,000 per family.
A total of 63 food kits and 53 blankets have been made available.
Joshimath, which is witnessing land subsidence forcing the Uttarakhand government to shift the locals to safer places, has been divided into three zones based on the magnitude of possible danger, an official said on Monday.
This comes after the Joshimath area was declared disaster-prone following cracks developing in the buildings of city. According to Chamoli District Disaster Management Authority, 603 buildings in Joshimath town have developed cracks so far.
Owing to the latest developments, the administration has divided the city into three zones, 'Danger', 'Buffer', and 'Completely safe' zones.
Speaking to ANI, Secretary to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, R Meenakshi Sundaram said that the administration is conducting a survey to assess the danger and buffer zones.
"The zone which is totally unsafe, that has to be evacuated immediately, that has been called a danger zone. A buffer zone is a zone which is presently safe but can be endangered in the future. And the third is the completely safe zone. A survey is underway for the danger and buffer zone," he said.