Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami visits 'sinking' Joshimath; says, '..in talks with ISRO'

Joshimath sinking: "Our first task is to take people to safer areas. Geoscientists are working. There is the Guwahati Institute and IIT Roorkee; we are also discussing it with ISRO. Everyone is trying to figure out what's causing this," said Uttarakhand CM Dhami.   

The Uttarakhand government is in talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to study and address the Joshimath land subsidence crisis, state Uttrakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami, who visited the sinking Joshimath to assess the situation on Saturday, January 7, 2023. He met with the affected people and assured them of all help, said an official. 

"We aim to keep everyone safe. The necessary arrangements for people have been made. Our first task is to take people to safer areas. Geoscientists are working. There is the Guwahati Institute and IIT Roorkee; also, we are in discussions with ISRO. Everyone is trying to figure out what's causing this," said Uttarakhand CM Dhami. 

The Himalayan state's chief minister visited Joshimath to conduct a ground inspection of the affected areas and to meet with affected families. 

"We are also contemplating if people need to be migrated from here and rehabilitated. We're also looking for a location for this. Currently, there's a winter season right now. So, we're looking into the issues that need to be addressed immediately," said CM Dhami.

The chief minister performed an aerial survey of Joshimath before landing in town. Huge fissures have been seen in Joshimath's houses, roads, and fields, and many houses have sunk.

Cracks on the Joshimath-Malari border route, which connects India and China, have been discovered due to landslides in Joshimath. Landslides have also engulfed a large portion of the Badrinath National Highway.

On Friday, the central government formed a commission to investigate the occurrence of land subsidence and its impact on the town of Joshimath. District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said that all construction work in Joshimath has been stopped until further directives are issued.