Joshimath crisis: MoS Defence assures residents of all possible help

Joshimath (Uttarakhand): With the situation in Joshimath getting worse, Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Ajay Bhatt on Tuesday assured the affected residents of all possible help.

Ealier in the day, the minister held a meeting with administrative officials at the Army base here.

In the town, over 670 houses have developed cracks due to land subsidence. Even roads in several places have caved in.

Bhatt met the affected people in Sunil Ward of the town and said that the Central and state governments are working on a war footing to get them out of the calamity.

The visit by the minister is being considered significant as the border with China is only 90 km away from the town and an army brigade there monitors the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Also, an ITBP battalion is stationed in Joshimath.

Indian Army and ITBP jointly monitor Auli and all the border lines in the vicinity. In 2022, the Indian and the US Army had conducted a major joint drill in Tapovan, drawing a protest by China.

Land subsidence has created a crisis on the existence of Joshimath, the town closest to the China border in Chamoli district. Due to the cracks in buildings, shops, roads and other structures, a sense of fear is prevailing among the residents.

On the instructions of the district administration, many residents have vacated their houses while a lot of people are still packing up to leave the town.