PMO team visits Joshimath, to submit findings to PM Narendra Modi

DEHRADUN: A team from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), led by deputy secretary Mangesh Ghildiyal, reached Joshimath on Sunday and inspected affected areas around the town.

The team, accompanied by senior officials of the district administration, visited Jaypee Colony in Marwari ward, believed to be the worst-affected part of the "sinking town" after an aquifer burst here on January 2. They also took stock of the two hotels, Mount View and Malari Inn, which are being dismantled under supervision of the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI). According to sources, PMO officials also enquired about the ongoing evacuation exercise, along with relief and rehabilitation work of affected residents. The team will report its findings to the Prime Minister.

Meanwhile, two more hotels, Snow Crest and Kamet in Manohar Bagh municipal ward, have tilted dangerously towards each other and have been vacated by the administration as a precautionary measure, the officials said.

On Sunday, the number of buildings to have developed cracks increased to 826, while 165 structures have been declared unsafe for living by the district administration. Secretary of the Uttarakhand state disaster management department, Ranjit Sinha, also visited Joshimath on Sunday for an on-site inspection of affected areas like the Auli ropeway, Manohar Bagh, Shankaracharya math and Jaypee Colony. Ranjit Sinha was accompanied by geologists and other senior officials. Sinha instructed officials to continuously monitor the pattern route of cracks and landslides in structures.

He said that National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) in Hyderabad, is conducting a geophysical study of the affected areas in Joshimath and also studying the underground water channel of the town.

"After the study, NGRI will make geophysical and hydrological maps of the town, which will be useful in creating Joshimath's drainage and stabilisation plan," Sinha said.