Centre cautions experts about U’khand theory

The Centre has asked all government agencies and institutions involved in the rescue, relief and analysis works of the Joshimath ground subsidence to refrain from sharing any details publicly, citing the possibility of “confusion” that it can lead to.

On the ground at the hill town, demolition crews worked gingerly on Saturday to bring down two precariously standing hotels in Joshimath, amid fears that they could collapse and lead to widespread destruction.

The order, issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Friday, came as assessments and reports purported to show the gravity of the problem, and that some signs may have gone unnoticed.

One of these was a preliminary report by the ISRO’S National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad uploaded on January 11. It found that in the seven months between April and

November 2022, Joshimath recorded subsidence of 8.9 cm, but the rate grew to an alarming 5.4cm in a little under 13 days till January 8.

The report, “Joshimath subsidence: Satellite-based preliminary results” was no longer available on the website on Saturday.

“It is observed that various government institutions are releasing data related to the subject matter in social media platform and also they are interacting with media with their own interpretation of the situation,” said the NDMA order. “It is creating confusion not only among affected residents but also among citizens of the country. The issue was highlighted during a meeting chaired by Honorable

NEW DELHI: