Gag Order Bars Govt Bodies from Sharing Information on Joshimath Sinking

New Delhi: Following the report of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the rapid sinking of Uttarakhand's Joshimath, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday stopped the government institutions and officials from speaking to media on this topic and sharing further information on land subsidence on social media platforms. 

The gag order sent to 12 government institutions said the organisations’ “own interpretations” of data are creating confusion in the minds of affected residents and the citizens of the country. The NDMA said the issue was also raised during a meeting with the Union Home Minister on January 12. 

“It is observed that various government institutions are releasing data related to the subject matter in social media platform, and also they are interacting with media with their own interpretation of the situation. It is creating confusion not only among affected residents but also among citizens of the country,” the NDMA letter said. 

Notably, ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre had released satellite images taken from the Cartosat-2S satellite that documented the extent of sinking of land took place until January 8. 

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has severely criticised the gag order and asked the Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘not to shoot messenger’. 

जोशीमठ के बाद,अब कर्णप्रयाग व टेहरी गढ़वाल से भी मकानों में दरारों की ख़बर आ रही है।

विपदा का समाधान व जनता की समस्याओं के निदान के बजाय, सरकारी एजेंसियो - ISRO की रिपोर्ट पर पाबंदी और मीडिया से बातचीत पर रोक!@narendramodi जी,

“Do Not Shoot the Messenger” pic.twitter.com/v9wigOAV0T

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) January 14, 2023

Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town is ‘sinking’ as hundreds of houses, buildings and roads in this Himalayan town have developed huge cracks. As the cracks in nearly 600 dwellings, roads and fields are widening, the water is gushing out of it sending the people into panic with most of them abandoning their properties.

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