Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday assured residents of the land subsidence hit town Joshimath that they will get the best compensation from the state government, and protecting life and property is the top priority of the government.
Over 600 houses in Joshimath, the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, have developed huge cracks, affecting the lives of hundreds of families. The town has been declared a land subsidence hit zone by the state government.
Rs 45 crore released by state: CM Dhami
Dhami said financial assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh was being paid to each affected family for which Rs 45 crore has already been released by the state government. He added that the interim assistance would reach the bank accounts of the families affected by this evening or Friday.
“People will get the best compensation possible. The state government will do all it can to properly rehabilitate them. Protecting their life and property is our top priority,” Dhami said at a meeting with the committee. Dhami, who has been in Joshimath since Wednesday, also said the disaster has hit 600-700 houses, and not the entire town.
“The disaster has hit 600-700 houses, which is only 20-25 per cent of the town’s entire area. But an atmosphere is built around Joshimath that the whole town is sinking, which is not true,” Dhami said, adding that creating an impression like this could harm the local people’s livelihoods, which are based on tourism and pilgrimage. Earlier, in the day, CM Dhami offered prayers at the Narsingh temple.
169 families relocated: Uttarakhand Disaster Management Secretary
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha said at a press conference that a total of 169 families have been relocated so far, and Rs 5,000 has been given to 73 families to meet their general expenses. He also said that Rs 4,000 each of house rent has been given to three families so far.
“A total of 169 families – 589 people – relocated so far. Rs 5,000 per family provided for general expenses to 73 families so far – Rs 3,65,000 in total. Rs 1,30,000 each provided to 10 families so far as per SDRF provisions – Rs 13 lakh in total,” Sinha said, as quoted by ANI. “House rent of Rs 4000 each has been provided to 3 families so far,” he added.
Sinha also said that eight teams of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) have been deployed for disaster relief. “Eight teams of SDRF are deployed at Joshimath for disaster relief operations. Rs 2.14 crores was issued for the protection of electric cables and poles. Two teams of NDRF are also there, one team is on its way. If any situation arises, Army helicopter is on standby, and our helicopter is on standby too. Army unit is also on standby,” Sinha said.
Amit Shah chairs review meeting
In a related development, Union Home minister Amit Shah today chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation in the town. Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, RK Singh, Bhupendra Yadav and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat were also part of the meeting. Shah also took stock of the relief measures.
Besides Joshimath, cracks have also appeared in several other districts of Uttarakhand including Uttarkashi, Tehri, Pauri and Karnprayag. A few houses in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat have also developed cracks, residents said. It was reported from the Thakurdwara area.