Joshimath: 38 more families evacuated; Rs 1.8 cr aid given

Dehradun, January 14

With icy winds sweeping Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, the administration on Saturday provided electric heaters to temporary relief centres in subsidence-hit Joshimath even as 38 more families were evacuated from the affected areas.

A total of 223 families have been evacuated so far to safety, Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha said. The demolition of hotel Malari Inn went on amid stepped up efforts to distribute the amount of Rs 1.50 lakh to each affected family as interim relief.

An amount of Rs 1.87 crore has been distributed as an interim aid among 125 families so far, Sinha said, adding prefabricated houses were being built for the affected people. The number of rooms at relief camps has been increased to 615 to accommodate more persons.