The Indian Army relocated its troops from land subsidence-hit Joshimath after Army Chief Manoj Pande said that over 20 military installations around the town in the northern state of Uttarakhand have sustained 'medium to minor damage'.
Addressing the annual Army Day conference, General Pande said, "25-28 buildings of the Army have developed minor cracks and soldiers have been relocated. If needed they would be permanently relocated to Auli." He added that the same has not impacted the "readiness" of the Army and the "operational preparedness" remains intact.
A team of experts from CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) will be leaving for Joshimath in Uttarakhand, which witnessed land subsidence recently, to conduct subsurface physical mapping of the affected town, a senior scientist has said. The team is expected to reach on Friday.
On Tuesday, the Centre announced that it will install a micro-seismic observation system in Joshimath.
The town, which is a gateway to several Hindu pilgrimage sites including Badrinath, has witnessed rapid infrastructure growth plus massive tourist footfalls that have affected its ecosystem.
In the past week, The number of subsidence-affected homes rose to 678 while 27 more families were evacuated to safety, a bulletin from the Disaster Management Authority in Chamoli said on January 9, adding that 82 families have been shifted to safe locations in the town so far.
