Uttarakhand: Rescue operations in Joshimath on as severe landslides continue, families relocated

Joshimath (Uttarakhand) [India], January 6 : With the landslides continuing at the Joshimath town of Uttarakhand, the district administration has launched relief and rescue operations in the area.
People whose houses have developed cracks due to landslides have been evacuated and shifted to night shelters of the municipality by the administration.
The affected people, their families, and children are currently living in night shelters, officials said.
The locals said that the people affected by the landslide, have been assured by the government that they will get pre-fabricated houses. However, they are worried about when the houses will be allotted to them.
The Uttarakhand government has formed a team of scientists to find out the reason behind the occurrence of land subsidence in Joshimath and the resultant damage reported to the houses.
The team will be visiting the spot and investigate the reason behind the land subsidence, said an official statement from the government.
According to an official statement, engineers from the Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute, and IIT Roorkee have been included in the team formed on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Cracks have reportedly developed in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of continued land subsidence in the town, stated the District Disaster Management Department.
Following the appearance of cracks in the houses, a total of 66 families are reported to have migrated from Joshimath as of now.
"Now the process of increasing cracks in Singhdhar and Marwadi has started. Badrinath NH near Singhdhar Jain locality and JP Company Gate in Marwadi, near the forest department check post, is continuously cracking. This crack is increasing every hour which is worrying," said Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar.