Joshimath: All Construction Activities Halted, Choppers On Standby; CM Dhami Inspects Affected Areas

The Chief Minister is scheduled to visit the town today to inspect the landslide-affected areas.

Joshimath: All the construction activities in Joshimath of Chamoli district in Uttarakhand have been halted keeping in mind the cracks which appeared in several buildings of the town. District magistrate of Chamoli, while speaking to news agency ANI said that the decision to halt the construction activities was taken in wake of the current situation in Joshimath.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami Inspects The Affected Areas Today

The Chief Minister arrived in the town today to inspect the landslide-affected areas. “In view of the local situation in Joshimath, all kinds of construction work has been stopped until further orders. The Chief Minister will physically inspect the landslide-affected areas of Joshimath and will also visit the relief camps here,” the district magistrate said.

The chief minister had before arriving in the town conducted an aerial survey of Joshimath.

Uttarakhand Readies Choppers To Evacuate People

Meanwhile, choppers have been put on standby mode and will be pressed into service by disaster response teams when required. According to PTI, CM Dhami asked officials to explore alternate places for impacted people’s rehabilitation in various sections of Joshimath town.
“Saving lives is our first priority. Officials have been asked to shift around 600 families living in endangered houses in Joshimath to safe locations,” Dhami told media on Friday.

“Satellite images can also be useful in this. All departments should act with a team spirit to achieve success in the exercise,” he said, adding that helicopters will also be pressed to service.

Why is Joshimath sinking?

Joshimath is located at a height of 6,000 feet in the Chamoli district and is said to have been established on the debris that accumulated after several landslides. Since the town is on the route to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, a lot of hotels and homestays have been constructed to cater to tourists.

One of the major reasons why the town is sinking is heavy construction work and deforestation that was caused by to erect of buildings in the district. This takes back to a ground survey conducted by the Mishra Committee in 1976, wherein the experts of the panel had warned not to remove boulders or carry out digging for construction purposes. The Committee’s report also warned against the relentless cutting of trees or else face consequences.

This volatile base of the town is also the reason why cracks are being noticed all across the town due to the water seeping from the ground.