The government has proposed three options for the rehabilitation and resettlement of Joshimath disaster affected people. The High Powered Committee (HPC) headed by Additional Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan has given its in-principle consent on all the three options on the suggestions of the committee constituted at the District Magistrate level. Now these will be placed in the state cabinet meeting. Along with one-time settlement for the loss of land and buildings, disaster affected people have also been given the option of house for house and land for land.

In the HPC meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary Anand Vardhan at the State Secretariat on Monday, three options were approved after discussing the proposals of District Magistrate Chamoli. Giving information about the meeting, Secretary Disaster Management Dr. Ranjit Kumar Sinha said Joshimath disaster affected can choose any one of the three options as per their wish. He told that the compensation for the land will be decided on the basis of circle rate. A decision will be taken in the cabinet meeting on how much the circle rate will be fixed.

Dr. Sinha told that the compensation for the buildings will be given according to the standards set by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). Apart from this, full compensation will be given to big hotels. While small shops and hotels (Dhabas) will also be given two options. As a first option, small shopkeepers and dhaba operators will be able to take full compensation together. Whereas as a second option, a 15 square meter shop will be allotted at the place to be displaced.

He informed that the decision on how many buildings will be removed, how many will be retrofitted, will be taken after receiving the final report of the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI). He told that the high-powered committee has decided to place before the cabinet at the government level, finding suitable the three options proposed by District Magistrate Chamoli regarding rehabilitation and displacement.

As the first option, disaster affected people have been given the option of one time settlement. Under this, financial assistance to the affected land-building owners will be given in the form of compensation for the damage, full payment of the damaged building and land will be made in one go under the prescribed standards. Before payment, the registration of the concerned affected person's land and building will be done in favor of the state government.

Under the second option, the affected landowners will be given a maximum of 100 square meters of land to build houses relative to the affected land. Apart from this, compensation will be given to the affected building. If the affected land owners have more than 100 square meters of land, additional land will be paid according to the norms. On the other hand, if someone has only 50 square meters of land, then the same amount of land will be allotted to the concerned. If someone has 200 or 300 square meters or more of land, he will be given additional compensation for the land. Before payment, the registration of the concerned affected person's land and building will be done in favor of the state government.

Under the third option, a duplex building of a maximum area of 75 square meters will be constructed and given by the government for the rehabilitation of the affected. If the residential building or land of the disaster affected is more than this, then the remaining amount will be paid to them instead. The land is yet to be selected for where the duplex buildings will be built. In the third option also, the affected people will first have to get their house and land registered in favor of the government.

It may take time to prepare the relief package to be sent to the Central Government for the Joshimath disaster affected. Secretary Disaster Management Dr. Ranjit Sinha said that the circle rate of the land is yet to be decided. Apart from this, until it is decided that how many families are affected, how many people are to be displaced, how many buildings are acute and how many are partially damaged, how many buildings are to be retrofitted, how much money is to be given to the affected, at what rate Till then the relief package may not be ready. He said that this would be possible after the final reports of all the technical institutions come. After this, a relief package will be prepared and sent to the Center after the approval of the cabinet.

Three school buildings have also been affected in the Joshimath disaster affected area. Students studying in these schools will be transferred to other schools. Secretary Disaster Management Dr. Ranjit Sinha told that cracks have appeared in three schools of Marwari area. These have been declared unsafe for children to read. He informed that the students studying in these schools are being shifted to other schools about 12 km away. Along with this, free bus service will be provided by the district administration to transport these children.