Uttarakhand admin orders to vacate Nirakshan Bhawan amid land subsidence in Joshimath

Joshimath (Uttarakhand) [India], January 8 (ANI): The Uttarakhand administration on Sunday directed to vacate the inspection bungalow in the Joshimath town of Chamoli as huge cracks appeared in its adjacent inspection building of the Public Works Department (PWD), Nirakshan Bhawan, on Saturday night.

"Big cracks appeared in Nirakshan Bhawan last night. Due to the widening of these cracks, the administration [District Magistrate] has ordered to vacate the inspection bungalow and our goods inside it are also being shifted," the caretaker of Nirakshan Bhawan, Chandan Singh Chauhan said.

Amid the continuing land subsidence in the Joshimath area of the Chamoli district in Uttarakhand, the Prime Minister's office on Sunday said it would hold a high-level meeting this afternoon.
"Principal Secretary to PM Dr. P K Mishra will hold a high-level review with the Cabinet Secretary and senior officials of Government and members of National Disaster Management Authority at PMO today afternoon," an official release said.
District Officials of Joshimath will also remain present through video conference on this issue.
According to the release, senior officers of Uttarakhand will also attend the review through video conferencing.
The meeting is being held in wake of the cracks that have developed in the area, which have increased in the last 15 days, according to the Jyotirmath administration.
Swami Vishwapriyananda, chief of Matth has cited "development" as the cause of the calamity.
"Development has now become a reason for destruction as hydroelectric power projects, and tunnels have affected our town. There were no cracks before 15 days, but these days the cracks are continuously increasing in Matth," Vishwapriyananda said while talking to ANI.
The town of Joshimath also called Jyotirmath, is the winter seat of Lord Badrinath, whose idol is brought down from the main Badrinath temple to Vasudeva temple in Joshimath every winter.
The holy town of Joshimath is revered by the Hindus as an important pilgrimage center of the country.
However, the district administration has made arrangements for the affected families in the subsidence.
Following the appearance of cracks in the houses, a total of 66 families are reported to have migrated from Joshimath as of now.
"The district administration has made arrangements for the families affected by the natural calamity to stay in safe relief camps," the administration said on Sunday.
District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana visited the relief camps last night and took stock of the arrangements.
"If there is any requirement, it is being made available immediately," he said.
Residents of Joshimath, a sacred town in Uttarakhand, have become alarmed after noticing fissures in the town's houses and roadways and have been evacuated and shifted to night shelters of the municipality by the administration.
According to the District Disaster Management Department, cracks have reportedly developed in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of continued land subsidence in the town. (ANI)