Joshimath sinking: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said his government is moving step by step to address the issues of subsidence-hit Joshimath town in Chamoli district.
"Our biggest priority now is to provide quick relief to the affected people and evacuate them to safety," he said.
"The affected families are being shifted to safer places. The demarcation of the affected buildings is going on continuously. Teams of geologists and experts are engaged in investigating the causes of land subsidence in the town," the chief minister added.
The administration is in constant touch with the affected people, he said, adding that basic facilities are being provided to them at the relief camps. Dhami said the decisions taken by the state cabinet on Friday are in the larger interest of those affected by land subsidence.
The Uttarakhand cabinet announced a slew of measures on Friday to provide relief to the people of the hill town, including a six-month waiver of electricity and water bills and a one-year moratorium on the recovery of bank loans.
"In this hour of calamity, we stand with the affected people and no one should have any doubt about it. We are working for their rehabilitation and settlement according to their expectations. The prime minister himself and his office are constantly monitoring the situation," Dhami said.
Joshimath, the gateway to famous pilgrimage centres such as Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence.
A total of 185 families living in the town have so far been shifted to relief centres after houses and other structures developed cracks.
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