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Amid Joshimath crisis, cracks appear on houses in Uttarakhand's Karnaprayag: VIDEO
Earlier on Monday, Sitarganj MLA Saurabh Bahuguna had informed that other villages near Joshimath are facing a similar situation of subsidence.
As the panic due to Joshimath land subsidence looms large, fresh cracks have appeared on some houses in Bahuguna Nagar of Karnaprayag Municipality in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. In a video shared by the news agency ANI, several cracks can be seen on houses in the vicinity.
Also read: Joshimath sinking: How man-made factors assaulted fragile ecology
Earlier on Monday, Sitarganj MLA Saurabh Bahuguna had informed that other villages near Joshimath are facing a similar situation of subsidence. “Efforts are underway for rehabilitation of affected people in Joshimath. We assure the safety of the people of Joshimath. I have received calls about villages near Joshimath grappling with a similar situation. The chief minister will be briefed on the same,” the Sitarganj MLA said, as quoted by ANI.
Meanwhile, the authorities will begin demolishing houses and hotels in Joshimath on Tuesday that are deemed to be in danger of collapse.
Two hotels - Hotel Malari Inn and Hotel Mount View - will be demolished on Tuesday by experts from Roorkee's Central Building Research Institute in Roorkee, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) ready to assist if needed. According to officials, all residents have been safely evacuated from the 'unsafe zones'.
Also read: Red cross marks on unsafe buildings amid fear, anger in Joshimath. Watch
According to the Chamoli DDMA bulletin, more than 600 houses in the holy town have developed cracks so far and 81 families have been 'temporarily' displaced. Under the Joshimath city area, 213 rooms have been temporarily identified as habitable, with their capacities estimated at 1191, it added.
On Monday, a team from the Ministry of Jal Shakti arrived in Joshimath to take stock of the situation. District magistrate Himanshu Khurana informed that a central team will also arrive on Tuesday to survey the damage to properties and suggest a way forward while coordinating with the local administration in relief and rescue efforts, reported ANI.
On Sunday, the Uttarakhand government declared Joshimath’s all nine municipal wards as “landslide-subsidence zone” under the disaster management act and began the evacuation of residents from these areas.
Apart from evacuations, the Uttarakhand government is also working on the relocation and rehabilitation of people. According to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the possible relocation sites include Gauchar and Pipalkoti.
(With inputs from agencies)
