*Today, Uttarakhand's chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will hold a cabinet meeting and may make some important decisions regarding subsidence-hit Joshimath. After yesterday's meeting with all stakeholders on the Joshimath land subsidence issue, the Uttarakhand cabinet is meeting today.

During the meeting on Thursday, the chief minister interacted with the Army, ITBP, NDRF and scientists from various establishments involved in landslide investigations, district administration, police and district-level officers associated with essential services at Sunil ITBP camp.

Meanwhile, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad has released satellite images that reveal severe land subsidence in Joshimath. According to the Cartosat-2S satellite images, the entire town, including the Army's helipad and a temple, has been declared sensitive.

Isro's preliminary report states that the town sank by 8.9 cm between April and November 2022 as a result of slow subsidence.

During the period between December 27, 2022 and January 8, 2023, the intensity of land subsidence increased dramatically, causing the town to sink by an additional 5.4 cm.

There has already been rescue operations in danger-prone areas, and residents have been relocated to safer areas. Satellite images also indicate that the Joshimath-Auli road may collapse due to land subsidence.

A relief fund of Rs 45 crore was approved by the State Cabinet on Friday. Also, the Cabinet approved a proposal to waive the electricity bill for all affected families for six months starting in November 2022 and to provide employment under MNREGA to two members of each family.

In the cabinet meeting led by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, key issues including relief for the affected areas were discussed.

Dhami said after the meeting, "We have shifted 99 families from Joshimath so far and are providing Rs 1.5 lakh ex-gratia. Rehabilitation is underway and key decisions are being made for the future."

Those affected will receive a room or Rs 950 daily for accommodation and Rs 450 for food. The cabinet also approved a proposal to prepare a proposed final package within a week and submit it to the union government.

It has also approved the proposal to conduct a geological survey in the affected areas, as well as to assess carrying capacity in hill stations over time.

Former Union Minister Uma Bharti met CM Dhami earlier today to discuss security arrangements for the affected families.

(This news is originally sourced from ANI and is edited to remove plagiarism. Images are also sourced from the internet and are edited. No violation of copyright is intended.)

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