At Joshimath in Uttarakhand, the ongoing incidents of the ground opening and cracking up, landslides, tilting of buildings and other phenomena were disasters that were waiting to happen. The National Remote Sensing Centre of the famed Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had released a report of areas in Joshimath that had slowly subsided nearly 9 cm since April 2022, and to 5 cm in 12 days since December 27. The ISRO divulged this vital information so that the public would be aware as to what happened. This seems to have upset the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) which announced a gag order whereby no scientist should give interview or write about Joshimath. Firstly, the ISRO is a responsible and globally famed agency and set-up at tax payers cost and citizens need to know the facts. Secondly, it does not make sense to restrain the ISRO or other organisations since there are foreign space agencies who may have access to the same or better information than the ISRO. Hence, instead of considering the ISRO’s views as an affront, the NDMA could work in tandem with it.
