PMO holds Joshimath meet, Modi talks to CM

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Sunday held an urgent meeting on the situation in Joshimath, where relief and rescue efforts have been stepped up as it has been declared a landslide and subsidence-hit zone, with the Centre asking experts to prepare short- and long-term plans for conservation and rehabilitation

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Sunday held an urgent meeting on the situation in Joshimath, where relief and rescue efforts have been stepped up as it has been declared a landslide and subsidence-hit zone, with the Centre asking experts to prepare short- and long-term plans for conservation and rehabilitation.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s principal secretary, PK Mishra, chaired the meeting and stressed on safety, relief and rehabilitation of the affected people, and a clear and continuous communication channel with them, according to an official statement.

In a telephonic conversation with Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Prime Minister Modi on Sunday inquired about the steps taken for the safety and rehabilitation of the affected residents. According to chief minister’s office, the PM also inquired about the progress of immediate and long-term action plans to resolve the concerns of residents.

The Uttarakhand government has halted construction works in and around Joshimath as protests intensified over land subsidence that has caused cracks in at least 600 homes, threatening to bring them down. The problem appears to have spread across the town where the ground has shown signs of shifting. All nine municipal wards in the town in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district have been declared unsafe.

“The district administration is working with the affected families to evacuate and relocate them to safer places with adequate arrangements for food, shelter and security,” the official statement said.

Chairing the meeting of various Union and state officials, Mishra asked for a time-bound reconstruction plan, immediate efforts to arrest the deterioration through feasible measures and an investigation of the area by an interdisciplinary team. He also asked experts from top government institutions to work closely with the state government, and sought continuous seismic monitoring and a risk-sensitive urban development plan for Joshimath, considered a holy city.

Government officials said that one team of the National Disaster Response Force and four teams of their state counterparts (SDRF) have already reached Joshimath to assist in evacuation and rehabilitation efforts.

While central agencies and experts are assisting the Uttarakhand government for short-, medium- and long-term plans, secretary, border management of the Union home ministry and members of the National Disaster Management Authority will visit the state on Monday to assess the situation, according to the statement.

In the meeting that lasted for an hour, Mishra said Prime Minister Modi was concerned about the situation in Joshimath and reviewed the situation with chief minister Dhami.

A decision was also taken that a team of experts from the National Disaster Management Authority, National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, National Institute of Hydrology and Central Building Research Institute will study and give recommendations over the issue.

On Saturday, the Uttarakhand administration announced all nine municipal wards of Joshimath, home to one of the four pithas established by spiritual leader Adi Shankaracharya, as “disaster affected” and “unsafe for living” under the Disaster Management Act in view of the growing threat from land subsidence. The state government also started evacuation of people from these areas.

In Sunday’s meeting, cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba, home secretary Ajay Bhalla, other senior central government officials, members of NDMA, Uttarakhand chief secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Ashok Kumar were also present. Senior officers of the Uttarakhand administration, and experts from IIT Roorkee, National Institute of Disaster Management, Geological Survey of India and Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology also attended the review virtually.

“Chief secretary Uttarakhand informed that state and district officials with the support of central experts have assessed the situation on ground. He informed that a strip of land with a width of around 350 metres is affected. One team of NDRF and four teams of SDRF have reached Joshimath,” said the government press release.

He also said that evacuations have started and the district administration is working with the affected families to evacuate and relocate them to safer places with adequate arrangements for food, shelter and security. While the SP and commandment of SDRF are stationed at the site, “advice of experts is being sought to formulate the short-medium-long term plans”, said the statement.

“The principal secretary to the Prime Minister stressed that the immediate priorities for the state should be the safety of the people living in the affected area. State government should establish a clear and continuous communication channel with the affected people. Immediate efforts should be made to arrest the deterioration in the situation through practical measures that may be feasible,” the statement said.

Mishra said that “an interdisciplinary investigation of the affected area should be undertaken”.

“A clear time-bound reconstruction plan must be prepared. Continuous seismic monitoring must be done. Using this opportunity, a risk sensitive urban development plan for Joshimath should also be developed,” Mishra was quoted as saying by the statement.