Joshimath land subsidence: 35pc of affected families ready to take houses in Pipalkoti

Chamoli (Uttarakhand) [India], January 19 : Almost 35 per cent of the affected people of Joshimath are ready to shift to accommodations being offered by the government in Pipalkoti, sources said.
Officials on condition of anonymity said that the administration took suggestions from around 1000 affected people over a call and sought an opinion if they want a new house in Pipalkoti or seek a lump-sum amount from the government for their relocation.
Earlier today, the District Magistrate of Chamoli, Himanshu Khurana while talking to ANI said, "We are seeking suggestions from people for the place where we should relocate the people and establish a new Joshimath."
Around 35 per cent of the people have agreed to get a house in Pipalkoti, while about 25 per cent of the people have asked the government to give them a lump sum amount instead of a house, they said.
About 40 per cent of the affected people have still not taken any firm decision and are waiting for the government to reveal a complete relocation package.
According to the sources in the administration, the government has finalised an area in Pipalkoti and is searching for land in Gauchar and the nearby areas to relocate the affected people of Joshimath.
"In Pipalkoti and Gochar areas, the government will make pre-fab or pucca houses for the affected people. For those whose shops have been affected due to this calamity, roadside shops are being arranged in Pipalkoti itself. Shops would also be set up in the areas where the government intends to build houses," they said.
According to the sources, the government has a fixed capacity to build houses. If the house of the affected person is bigger than the one given by the government, then some rupees will also be given to them.
An official said on the condition of anonymity that around 40 per cent of people are waiting for the government order. They first want to see the government houses in the Pipalkoti-Gauchar area and then take a decision.
For the people who have agreed to settle in a house in Pipalkoti, the paperwork will be started to get permission from them in due course of time officially, confirmed the source.
Due to land subsidence in the Joshimath city area, over 849 buildings have been identified that developed cracks. Residents, as a part of the rehabilitation, have been moved to safer places even as geologists and experts scramble to ascertain the reasons for subsidence in the ecologically fragile region.
Uttarakhand government announced a relief package of Rs 45 crore to families in Joshimath, where large cracks appeared on houses and on roads.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami declared a relief package for nearly 3,000 families affected by gradual land subsidence in the Himalayan state.
He also announced that Rs 50,000 had been given by the state disaster authority to each family as a non-adjustable one-time special grant for the transportation of goods and immediate needs of their buildings.