Four thousand people were evacuated from Joshimath after a satellite survey.
According to a senior official with the Ministry of Home Affairs, close to 4,000 people have been relocated to secure areas.
Following a satellite inspection, 600 homes in the “sinking” town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand have been evacuated. “600 homes have reportedly been evacuated as of right now. 4,000 people have also been relocated to safer regions “According to a top official with the Ministry of Home Affairs, according to the sources.
A few cracks were also noticed in the lower levels of Army and ITBP facilities, but the official claimed that suitable protections are being implemented.
A high-level central team arrived in Dehradun and met with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in the interim. The team was led by Dr. Dharmendra Singh Gangwar, secretary, Border Management. According to a senior Home Ministry official, “surveys are being done by NDRF and local administration to come to exact statistics.”
He continued, “It seems that 30% of Joshimath is affected.” A report is being put together by an expert group and will be delivered to the Prime Minister’s Office, according to the statement.
More than 200 homes in the sinking town had red cross signs previously indicating they were unfitting for habitation. The state government offered each family aid of 4,000 per month for the following six months in exchange for moving their families into rental housing or temporary relief centres, respectively.
The National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have sent personnel to the town to assist with relief and rescue operations.
Joshimath, which serves as the entrance to Badrinath and Hemkunt Sahib, has more than 600 structures that have either developed fractures or been substantially destroyed. The holy town has been split into three zones based on the potential level of danger: “Danger,” “Buffer,” and “Completely safe.”
Experts attribute the worrying scenario to unplanned infrastructure expansion, notably hydropower projects. The National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) hydroelectricity project has frequently been mentioned in this context. The NTPC has refuted these allegations. It has stated in an official statement that the NTPC tunnel does not pass through the town and that no current blasting operations are taking place there.