Cracks Have Appeared On Badrinath Highway Near Joshimath: Official

With the Kedarnath Temple Committee announcing the dates for opening doors of Shri Kedarnath Dham, cracks have been found on a stretch of road along the Badrinath Highway near Joshimath between JP and Marwari.

Chamoli DM Himanshu Khurana said that cracks have appeared on the road from JP to Marwari on the Badrinath Highway.

"Instructions have been given to Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to test the cracks and take protective measures," Mr Khurana said.

According to DM Khurana Joshimath, people "complained about cracks in some houses".

"A team of engineers posted in Joshimath have been sent to test the cracks on the houses so that the actual situation can be known," he added.

Hundreds of residents were shifted to relief centres in safe places after cracks appeared at several homes in Joshimath, suggesting subsidence.

The Uttarakhand government has already announced relief packages worth crores for the affected families of Joshimath.

In January, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that the relief package has been released for nearly 3,000 families affected by gradual land subsidence in the Himalayan state.

The Chief Minister also announced that Rs 50,000 has been given by the state disaster authority to each family as a non-adjustable one-time special grant for the transportation of goods and immediate needs of their buildings.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed concern over the situation in Joshimath and had assured all help to the state administration in mobilising rescue and relief during a telephonic conversation with Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami earlier.

The Badrinath Dham is one of the four ancient pilgrimage sites referred to as 'Char Dham' which also included Yamunotri, Gangotri and Kedarnath. It is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand. It remains open for six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November).

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)