Joshimath crisis: Cracks on Badrinath highway

Few new cracks appeared on the Badrinath National Highway in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, the only road leading to Badrinath, the ANI news agency reported.

“The CBRI team, which was sent for an inspection of the cracks that appeared on the Badrinath road, has stated that the cracks were caused by local settlement of the road,” Himanshu Khurana, DM, Chamoli told ANI.

Badrinath National Highway from TCP area to Marwari Bridge, which is prone to landslides, has witnessed subsidence at several places. Road subsidence can be seen in areas of Sigh Dhar district on the ring road, the road leading to Narshingh, Gorang and Marwari temple.

According to the latest reports, the crisis has deepened, with the number of buildings with cracks rising to 849, some 100 more than previously reported. Asia's largest cable car, the 4.5 km Joshimath-Auli cable car, was also closed after wide cracks appeared nearby and incidents of land subsidence from the city were reported.

850 houses developed cracks

So far, more than 850 houses in Joshimath have developed cracks after the land subsided and more than 270 families have been transferred to temporary relief centers, according to authorities.

At least 181 of the city's buildings have been placed in the unsafe zone, district authorities reported. A small crack that appeared on the Badrinath road is charge-induced but not a cause for concern, Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said, citing experts from the Central Buildings Research Institute.

Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha said the administration has been closely monitoring the subsidence of the highway. Sinha stated that the agencies involved had received instructions to repair the road. He said that it would be completely repaired before the Char Dham yatra. Repairing the road before the yatra would represent a great challenge for the government.

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