Joshimath: NDRF on standby to assist local administration, says official

The team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescuers have reached the location from their regional response centre, located about 300 kms from state capital Dehradun.

New Delhi, Jan 09: An NDRF team is "on standby" to assist the local administration in any relief and rescue work at the 'sinking' border town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand, a senior officer said Monday.

The team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescuers have reached the location on Saturday from their regional response centre, located about 300 kms from state capital Dehradun.

"One team of NDRF is on standby to assist district administration at Joshimath as and when required." "Experts are on ground and administration will take action as per their directions.

NDRF will associate accordingly," an spokesperson for the force said. The number of subsidence-affected homes in Joshimath rose to 678 while 27 more families were evacuated to safety, a bulletin from the Disaster Management Authority in Chamoli said, adding so far 82 families have been shifted to safe locations in the town.

Joshimath, part of the Chamoli district, is located at a height of more than 6,000 feet and apart from the local population, it is a garrison town with units of the Army, the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Garhwal scouts who are present in the area for their primary task to guard the India-China Line of Actual Control (LAC) that is about 100 kms from away.

It is also the gateway to the holy shrines of Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib apart from Auli, a noted ski resort location where major snow and ice sporting competitions are held.