Ravi Shankar Prasad lauds Uttarakhand CM for handling Joshimath situation

Former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami handled the Joshimath situation well and everyone escaped unhurt. During an interview, the former union minister said, "Pushkar Dhami has done well in the land subsidence at Joshimath, with none of the citizens injured." Prasad was answering questions on the situation in Joshimath and the Central Railway project in Uttarakhand.

Joshimath, a small town in Uttarakhand, is located in the foothills of the Himalayas and is sinking. Residents have expressed concerns about the ground sinking beneath the city. Residents say that cracks have developed in their houses and that they are forced to find support structures to prevent their houses from falling under their own weight. More than 500 houses in the region have cracks. Unplanned and uncontrolled construction in the name of development and population explosion in Uttarakhand have brought Joshimath to the brink of sinking, researchers said.

Talking about hydro projects in Garhwal, the BJP MP said that the government always reviews power projects. "We focus on sustainable development. We cannot depend on coal, hydropower projects are the need of the day,” he said.

On the carrying capacity of towns on the Char Dham route ahead of the pilgrimage, Prasad said, “Who wouldn't want to visit Char Dham? People are coming to Uttarakhand with devotion and government is working on necessary arrangements."