As many as 34 families living in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath were shifted to a community hall and a primary school after their homes developed deep cracks, leaving them in a panicked state. According to the district administration, over 570 houses have developed cracks in the picturesque town, located around 50 km from the revered Badrinath temple. Among the 570 homes, 100 are not in a state to be used at all.
There was a massive protest in Joshimath on Wednesday as hundreds of people took out a “mashaal juloos” (torchlight protest). They have also decided to keep markets shut on Thursday as a mark of protest.
Talking to The Hindu, Additional District Magistrate Abhishek Tripathi said 28 families were moved to temporary rehabilitation centres created by the district administration in community halls on Wednesday while six families were evacuated from their damaged houses on Tuesday.
“We have made arrangements to evacuate 500 people. Evaluation of all the houses in the area is being done,” said Mr. Tripathi.
The locals claimed that the cracks were being seen in Joshimath for several years but their intensity had increased in the past one month. In the last 72 hours, even electricity poles have started leaning due to the alleged construction work of some power plants. Some say landslides have resulted in the cracks in homes.
“People have started spending nights in open, braving bone-chilling cold here because their homes are no more safe to stay,” said Pooran Singh, a resident of Joshimath.
‘Town is sinking’
Atul Sati, convener of the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS), claimed that the revered town is sinking.
Crack on a road in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath on January 4, 2023. Photo: Special Arrangement
“These cracks are scary and are getting deeper with each passing day. Two days ago, we saw two new water bodies forming from the cracked patches. This needs immediate attention,” he added.
“We have been writing to the government about this grave situation for over a year now. but no one paid heed to it. The entire credit for the present situation goes to the reckless construction and blasting work being done by the authorities of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for Tapovan-Vishnugad 520 MW hydropower project,” Mr. Sati said.
Municipal Corporation president of Joshimath Shailendra Pawar maintained that the number of landslides had increased phenomenally in the area and nine wards were badly impacted.
The intensity of the situation can be gauged by the fact that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the administration to send a report on the situation as the residents claim rapid development has forced the town to “sink”.
“The government is taking the matter seriously. We have sent teams of scientists to review the situation, and the administration is also compiling the report of houses that got damaged. Once we get the report, we will take a call on either shifting or rehabilitating the affected families,” Mr. Dhami said in a statement.
