Amit Shah assesses Joshimath situation with 4 Cabinet colleagues, officials

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday took stock of the situation in Joshimath where cracks have been witnessed in buildings and other structures, officials said.

Four other Union ministers - Nitin Gadkari (road transport), R K Singh (power), Bhupendra Yadav (environmental and forest) and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat (jal shakti) attended the meeting along with top officials.

Shah assessed the situation arising in Joshimath and steps taken to ameliorate people's hardship, the officials said.

The National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC) on Tuesday reviewed the situation in Joshimath and stressed that the immediate priority should be to ensure the complete and safe evacuation of all residents in the affected zone.

At a meeting of the NCMC, Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba stressed that priority should also be accorded to the demolition of vulnerable structures in a safe manner.

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 1.50 lakh among each affected family and decide the rate at which compensation is to be paid.