Best payout for Joshimath residents

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday said a committee would decide the market rate for compensation to be paid to the families affected in Joshimath by keeping in mind the interests of stakeholders.

A 19-member committee headed by Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana was set up on Wednesday to distribute an interim assistance of Rs 1.5 lakh among each affected family and decide the rate at which compensation is to be paid.

"People will get the best compensation possible. The state government will do all it can to properly rehabilitate them. Protecting their life and property is our top priority," Dhami said at a meeting with the committee. On the Rs 1.5 lakh being paid immediately to each affected family for which Rs 45 crore has already been released, the chief minister said, "It is only an interim relief. Details of the final compensation and rehabilitation are being worked out." "The winter games in Auli are beginning in February and the Char Dham Yatra in a few months. Sending a message outside Joshimath that the entire town is sinking is wrong. It will adversely impact the local economy," Dhami said.