Joshimath sinking: After Isro report, NDMA gags govt organisations | India News

DEHRADUN: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a gag order asking government officials and institutions to “not interact with media and share data on social media regarding ground subsidence at Joshimath.”

Joshimath ‘sinking’: ISRO satellite report highlights subsidence up to 9 cm in 7 months

Joshimath ‘sinking’: ISRO satellite report highlights subsidence up to 9 cm in 7 months

In an office memorandum (OM) issued on Friday, it said, “It is observed that various government institutions are releasing data related to the subject matter on social media platforms and they are also interacting with the media with their own interpretation of the situation. It is creating confusion not only among affected residents, but also among citizens of the country”.
“You are requested to sensitise your organisations about this matter and refrain from posting anything on the media platform until the final report of the expert group is released by the NDMA,” said the OM, which was marked to the heads of various central and state-level institutions including Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), Indian Space Research Organisation, Indian Institute Of Technology Roorkee, Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology and Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority among others. The issue was highlighted during a meeting chaired by home minister Amit Shah on January 12, said the order, adding, “An expert group has been formed for assessment of ground subsidence at Joshimath”.

The order came following a recent ISRO report on ground subsidence at Joshimath. The report claimed that Joshimath witnessed vertical sinking of 5.4cm between December 27, 2022, and January 8, 2023. On Friday morning, the Indian Institute Remote Sensing (IIRS) Dehradun also removed a small video uploaded on its official YouTube channel on the surface deformation of Joshimath observed through satellite-based radar interferometry. Reacting to the reported data released by ISRO, Uttarakhand cabinet minister Dhan Singh Rawat said, “I’ve spoken with ISRO officials and they have accepted that this is not their official take on the issue. They will give their official version of the current situation in Joshimath.”
Notably, the OM was issued days after another government body, Indian Council of Agricultural Research , had issued a similar order on the issue of genetically modified mustard.


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