Uttarakhand: Temple collapses in 'sinking' Joshimath, no casualty reported

Joshimath land subsidence:  Amid fear of sinking Joshimath in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district, a temple collapsed in Singdhar ward in the hill town on Friday evening. It further alarmed residents living under constant fear of a major disaster in the offing.

According to local residents, there was no one inside the temple when the incident occurred. It had been abandoned since it developed huge cracks over the past 15 days. Huge cracks have appeared in many houses and nearly 50 families have been moved to safer locations, disaster management officials said.

Apart from them, 60 families living in a colony meant for Vishnu Prayag Jal Vidyut Pariyojana employees have been shifted elsewhere, its director Pankaj Chauhan said.

Meanwhile, state Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will conduct a ground inspection of the landslide-affected area in Joshimath on Saturday, January 7. He will meet the affected families and hold a meeting with the officials deployed in relief work.

Marwari area where an aquifer burst three days ago is the worst hit. Several houses there were damaged in varying degrees while water from the aquifer is constantly flowing down with great force.

Moreover, the Chamoli district administration has said that families whose houses get damaged and become uninhabitable or families that become homeless will be given Rs 4,000 per family for 6 months from Chief Minister Relief Fund, ANI reported.

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Construction activities banned

All construction activities related to mega projects like the Chardham all-weather road (Helang- Marwari bypass) and the NTPC's hydel project have been stopped till further orders on the demand of residents. The Auli ropeway service has also been stopped after a huge crack developed beneath it.

(With inputs from agencies)