Uttarakhand: Families being evacuated after 500 houses develop cracks in Joshimath; BJP panel to visit spots

After the cracks developed in over 500 houses land subsidence continued in Joshimath. Following this, the State BJP organization forms a 14-member committee to assess land subsidence in the area.

Joshimath (Uttarakhand): Nearly 30 families in the Himalayan town of Joshimath have been evacuated to safer locations with several houses in the area prone to high seismic activity developing cracks, according to officials. Located at a height of 6,000 feet in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, the town, on the route to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, falls in high-risk seismic 'Zone-V'.

The degree of damage to the houses differs and till now, 29 families from the most affected houses have been shifted temporarily to safer places from the town, he said, adding that more families could be evacuated if required. The locations where they have been shifted to include the Nagar Palika Bhawan, a primary school building, the Milan Kendra and the Joshimath Gurudwara, the official said.

Cracks have reportedly developed in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of continued land subsidence in the town. So far, 561 houses in different areas of the town have developed cracks, including 153 in Ravigram, 127 in Gandhinagar, 71 in Manoharbagh, 52 in Singhdhar, 50 in Parsari, 29 in Upper Bazar, 27 in Suneel, 28 in Marwadi and 24 in Lower Bazar, 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.

The Uttarakhand BJP unit has formed a 14-member committee to assess the land subsidence and damages in Joshimath. The State BJP organization has formed the 14-member committee under the coordination of State General Secretary Aditya Kothari. Party's state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said, "The committee constituted on the instructions of state president Mahendra Prasad Bhatt will visit the site on January 6 and hold talks with local residents, businessmen and public representatives and submit its report to the state leadership."

Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar, "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."

As many as nine houses in Marwadi have reported cracks and at the same time cracks have started appearing in most public roads of the ward, stated the City Board Chairman, Joshimath. District Disaster Management Department has also reported cases of water seepage from underground in JP Colony, Marwadi ward of Joshimath. "Cracks are also increasing on all the main roads of Sunil Ward due to which people are facing a lot of difficulty in walking," said Shalendar Panwar.

After continued land sinking in Joshimath, District Magistrate Chamoli has posted Joint Magistrate Deepak Saini in Joshimath. Earlier in the day, in the wake of the news of land subsidence in Joshimath and cracks developing in many houses in the town, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that necessary actions would be taken to save the people of the district.

Chief Minister Dhami would be visiting Joshimath soon to take stock of the situation and initiate necessary actions. The statement comes in the backdrop of reports of huge cracks that have appeared in the houses of the area due to land subsidence which is known as the vertical sinking of land in an area.

"I will be visiting Joshimath in the coming days and initiate steps to handle the situation. All the reports will be monitored and all the required steps will be taken. I have had a word with the Municipal Corporation chairman Shailendra Pawar to monitor the condition in the district," said CM Pushkar Singh Dhami while talking to ANI. Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar said that huge cracks have appeared in the houses due to leakage of water from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward.

"I went to Dehradun to meet CM Dhami to discuss the entire situation. There have been reports that cracks have appeared in the houses due to leakage of water from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward," said Shailendra Pawar.

Meanwhile, people in the Joshimath Town of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand have been fleeing from their houses to safer places following incidents of land subsidence in the area.

The winter season and the danger of house collapse due to landslides have now become a major issue in Joshimath Town. Nine wards of Joshimath town have been massively affected by landslides. The cracks in the walls and floors of the houses in the city area are getting deeper with each passing day, sounding an alarm for people.

Shailendra Pawar said that more than 3000 people from 576 houses in the city area have been affected due to this subsidence. "All the houses are being surveyed by the municipality. Many people have also left their homes," he said. Land subsidence has completely taken under its grasp the house of Madhavi Sati, the ex-Municipal President of Joshimath town area just like the other 574 houses in the town area, which have also developed huge cracks.

"I have no other option but to live in a ruined house," she said. She said that the DM of Chamoli also visited the area but no conclusion has been reached so far. "The people of Joshimath are worried about the future of the city," she added. Soon a delegation from Joshimath will be travelling to Dehradun to meet Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami with the demand for rehabilitation for the people affected by the subsidence. (with Agency inputs)