Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday dismissed the reports of the demolition of houses which have developed cracks due to land subsidence in the Joshimath area of Chamoli and said that “no action” is being taken to bring down the houses.

Dhami appealed to the people not to pay attention to such rumours. “Rumors are being spread about the demolition of houses which have developed cracks in the affected area. I appeal to all not to pay heed to these rumours. No action is being taken to demolish the houses having cracks in the affected area,” he said.

Dhami said that the affected people will be given compensation at the market rate in the landslide and landslide-affected areas of the Joshimath municipal area.

“The market rate will be issued after taking the suggestions of the stakeholders and in the public interest,” he said.

The Chief Minister directed the Chief Secretary not to demolish the houses with cracks in the affected area unless it is unavoidable.

The Chief Minister said that a total amount of Rs 45 crore has been release to 3,000 families affected families.

“For the time being, interim assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh per family is being given. An advance amount of Rs 1 lakh has been given to the affected land owners/families due to landslides in the affected area before the permanent settlement displacement policy is prepared. An amount of Rs 50,000 has been given to the affected landowners/families in the form of a non-adjustable one-time special grant for the transportation of goods and immediate needs of their buildings. This amount was released by the Uttarakhand State Disaster Authority,” he said.

“He said that assistance would be given after a complete assessment of the total expenditure in the affected area. The Chief Minister has given one month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to help the disaster-affected families in Joshimath,” the Chief Minister said.

He instructed the Chief Secretary that after talking to the affected families in Joshimath area, all their problems should be resolved quickly.

“From the point of view of security, the families who are being shifted to other places should be ensured that all better necessary arrangements are there,” he said.

Dhami also instructed the Chief Secretary that on the basis of his suggestions, better arrangements should be made for the displacement of the affected people.

“The government would provide all possible facilities to the affected people in their pain and suffering,” he said.

“In the affected area of Joshimath, the high officials of the government are meeting the affected people in the area to solve their problems. Secretary Chief Minister R Meenakshi Sundaram is overseeing all the arrangements along with the administration officials on the spot. Geological and other necessary investigations are being done by the concerned institutions in the landslide and landslide-affected area of Joshimath. The team of the National Disaster Management Authority is also present on the spot,” he said.