Days after the homes and buildings in Joshimath, home to the monastery of Adi Sankaracharya and gateway to the Badrinath temple, started developing deep cracks prima facie due to land subsidence, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached the revered town to take the stock of the situation.
The Chief Minister said the government is standing fully with the affected people of Joshimath, a town that has great religious, spiritual and cultural importance.
“It’s the centre of our faith. At this time, there is a big challenge before all of us to save this oldest ‘Jyotirmath’ from natural calamity,” he told officials working on ground to tackle the situation.
When Madhvi Sati, 70, told the CM that her home, in which she had spent over five decades of her life, having arrived as a young bride, was sinking, Mr. Dhami too couldn’t hold back his tears. He hugged the elderly woman and assured her all possible help from the government.
Residents shared their plight with the Chief Minister, who have them a patient hearing. Mr. Dhami also visited a rehabilitation centre to check the arrangements made by the district administration, apart from the homes in the ‘danger zone’.
Speaking of the relief work being conducted in Joshimath, the District Magistrate of Chamoli, Himanshu Khurana, said that the completion of survey works in all wards, the shifting of affected families to alternative shelter buildings, and all other arrangements, were being ensured. All sector officers have been deployed. Dry ration kits and cooked food packets were being provided to the affected families. The families in need of immediate relocation were being shifted to safer places.
Mr. Dhami also ordered the Secretary to Chief Minister, R. Meenakshi Sundaram, and Commissioner of the Garhwal Division, Sushil Kumar, to camp in Joshimath from tomorrow.
According to officials, as many as 603 houses have been damaged in nine wards of Joshimath town, with the maximum of 161 houses in Ravigram ward, followed by 134 houses in Gandhinagar ward. The administration is rehabilitating 11 more families on Saturday, with number of families evacuated from the ‘danger zone’ rising to 55.
The government has already announced the evacuation of everyone living in the ‘danger zone’. Rent of ₹4,000 per month will be given to the displaced families.
Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, the present Sankaracharya of the Joshimath monastery, on Saturday filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Supreme Court, seeking relief packages for affected people. Annoyed by the allegedly delayed action from the government in handling the situation, the senior seer said that the government had neglected warnings over sinking homes in Joshimath for years, and now the situation had turned into a disaster.
“The PIL also prays that the apex court will issue orders to both the Centre and the State government to safeguard the ancient shrines located in Joshimath and nearby areas, which are also witnessing damage due to the current situation. It also demands proper and immediate rehabilitation of locals,” Anjani Kumar Mishra, the petitioner’s lawyer, said.
