Two committees formed to look into Joshimath sinking; rehabilitation efforts underway: Uttarakhand government to Delhi High Court

The Uttarakhand government informed the Delhi High Court on Thursday that two committees have been to look into rehabilitation and mitigation efforts in the disaster-prone town of Joshimath. .Deputy Advocate General JK Sethi appeared before the High Court today and said that both the Central and State governments are seized of the crisis. He said that the governments have already deployed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in the town and nearby areas. Many people have been relocated out of the place, and a rehabilitation package is also being prepared, he added. .Sethi made the submissions before a Division Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad. The Court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking constitution of a high-powered joint committee to look into the cracks that have appeared in several homes at Joshimath. The plea demanded that the committee should be headed by a retired judge of the High Court and must have representatives of all ministries involved in development work in the area so that a plan can be devised for rehabilitation of the residents..Appearing as petitioner-in-person before the High Court, Advocate Rohit Dandriyal said that the Supreme Court has denied an urgent hearing of a similar plea. He added that he has also given a representation to the Central government seeking constitution of a committee, but that is yet to be decided. .Joshimath, which has a population of around 17,000, is located in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, at a height of 1,800 meters above sea level.The town acts as a gateway to the Char Dham shrine of Badrinath and to trekking sites like the Valley of Flowers. It has been declared disaster-prone after cracks started appearing in buildings and on roads. According to the latest report from the district administration, over 720 homes in the town have developed cracks. .The Court said that since the issue is already pending before the apex court, it would hear the matter after the latter considers it on Monday.The Bench, therefore, listed the case for further hearing on February 2.