Joshimath (Uttarakhand) [India], January 27 (ANI): Giving respite to the sinking town of Joshimath, Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha on Friday said that the water discharge in the town has reduced to 171 litres per minute (LPM).

Addressing the media at the Media Center Secretariat about the works being done related to the relief and rehabilitation after the land subsidence and landslides in the Joshimath town area, Sinha said, "The initial water discharge in Joshimath which was 540 LPM on January 06, has currently reduced to 171 LPM."He briefed the media about the work being done by the state government in the area and noted no significant increase in the number of buildings with cracks as per the survey.

He informed that an amount of Rs 3.36 crore to 224 affected landowners and Rs 47.50 lakhs to 95 affected tenants have been distributed in the town as interim relief.

Speaking about the rehabilitation of the affected people in the town, Sinha said that pre-fabricated shelters are under construction on the land of the Horticulture Department in Joshimath.

"Land development work is going on for Pre Fabricated Transition Center at Dhak village, Chamoli. The work is likely to be completed soon," Sinha said.

Secretary of Disaster Management informed that in the temporarily identified relief camps, there are a total of 661 rooms in Joshimath with a capacity of 2957 people and 491 rooms in Pipalkoti with a capacity of 2205 people.

He informed that one area or ward has been declared unsafe in Gandhinagar, two in Singhdhar, five in Manoharbagh and seven in Sunil.

"Building 181 is located in an unsafe area. 250 families have been temporarily displaced in view of security. The number of displaced family members is 902," 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.

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 have 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. (ANI)