Joshimath: Several state-run institutions including ISRO have been directed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Uttarakhand government not to interact with media or share information on social media on the Joshimath situation without prior approval.
The direction came after satellite images released by the Indian Space Research Organisation showed the rapid rate of subsidence in Joshimath between Dec 27 and January 8, fuelling concerns over the situation, even as Uttarkhand Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said on Saturday that the ISRO images have been withdrawn.
Rawat said ISRO has not issued an official statement on the basis of the images.
“I had seen the satellite images of Joshimath on ISRO’s website. I spoke to ISRO’s Director and asked him why he is not issuing an official statement in this regard. Now I am told the images have been withdrawn,” he told reporters.
“Things are returning to normal in Joshimath. No one needs to panic,” the minister, who visited Joshimath to take stock of the situation there, said.
In its communication to the heads of organisations and institutes on Friday, the NDMA said it has observed that various government institutions are releasing data related to the subject on social media platforms and also they are interacting with the media with their own interpretation of the situation.
The statements on Joshimath are creating confusion not only among affected residents but also among citizens of the country, the NDMA said.
It said people associated with them should not interact with the media and share data on social media regarding the ground subsidence in Joshimath.
The NDMA asked the organisations to sensitise its experts about the matter and added they should refrain from posting anything on media platforms until the final report of the expert group is released by the NDMA.
