Danger "The Sinking Town"
Protests have erupted in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath ahead of the demolition of two hotels, the Hotel Malari Inn and the Hotel Mount View, as well as hundreds of houses that have developed dangerous cracks as a result of land subsidence.
Images shared by news agency ANI show dozens of people, many of them women, marching through the streets of the town in protest of the state-run National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), amid claims that construction on its Tapovan-Vishnugad hydroelectric project is to blame for the tragedy.
The NTPC has denied this claim, saying in a statement issued on January 5 that “the tunnel… does not pass under Joshimath town.”
The latest updates of Joshimath demolitions
The NTPC has also stated that no blasting is being done at this time.
“According to Ashok Kumar, the hill state’s Director-General of Police. “Currently, 678 buildings have been labelled as unsafe. Many have been evacuated, and the process of evacuation and demolition is still ongoing. There are eight SDRF teams, one NDRF team, and an additional company of PAC and police officers present
A scientific investigation is currently ongoing .” According to that Some areas will be sealed if necessary”.
House and hotel demolitions
According to Manikant Mishra of the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Malari Inn will be the first to be demolished.
“Malari Inn, the larger of the two hotels, will be demolished gradually today. First and foremost, the roof will be demolished. It is being done because the sinking has caused both hotels to tilt and come very close to each other.”
“Because there are several houses… nearby, their demolition is critical. If these two continue to sink, they may collapse… As a result, experts decided to demolish.”
Photographs show the two hotels dangerously close to each other.
Other images shared by ANI show demolition and disaster response teams on the scene, using loudspeakers to warn bystanders to leave.
Uttarakhand | Demolition of Hotel Malari Inn in Joshimath to begin shortly. SDRF deployed at the spot & announcements being made through loudspeakers for people to go to safer places.
Experts decided to demolish Hotel Malari Inn & Hotel Mount View after they were declared unsafe pic.twitter.com/ofPnc8h4cT
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 10, 2023
This comes on the same day that a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud denied an urgent hearing on the issue and rescheduled it for January 16, citing ‘democratically-elected institutions’ working on it.
All residents have been evacuated from ‘unsafe’ areas, and demolition will be carried out by experts from Roorkee’s Central Building Research Institute, with state and national disaster response teams on standby.
According to reports, at least 4,000 people have been relocated
“They will demolish these hotels for the safety of the 15-20 families who still live there. Our homes were destroyed “Local Manmohan Singh Rawat stated.
Images show massive cracks in temple town buildings and roads, where nearly 700 structures have been damaged. District officials have placed red ‘X’ marks on over 200 houses to indicate their condemned status and have asked residents to relocate to relief camps or rented housing; in the latter case, the state will provide each family with 4,000 per month for the next six months.
Government Plans Towards The Locals?
In addition to evacuating residents and demolishing damaged buildings, the Uttarakhand government is developing a plan for relocation and rehabilitation.
According to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, possible relocation sites include Gauchar (90 kilometres away) and Pipalkoti (35 kilometres away), and efforts are being made to restore the town.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pledged the government’s support.
What do the locals think?
Prakash Bhutiyal, 50, said seven of the eleven rooms in his residence-turned-guesthouse had developed cracks, and he and his family are awaiting relocation.
“Our nine-person family has been forced to live in just one room,” he explained. “We left all of our belongings out in the open. We have yet to be relocated to a more secure location.”
Some appear willing to relocate to an area near Joshimath. But others have objected and sought financial compensation – a ‘one-time settlement’.
“This is my maternal home. I got married at the age of 19. My mother is 80 years old and I have an elder brother. We built this home by working hard and making an earning. We lived here for 60 years but it is all ending now,” says a resident, Bindu. pic.twitter.com/aaTaQYU3mI
— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 10, 2023
“The government should rehabilitate us to a location close to Joshimath,” said one affected resident. Deepak Rawat, who was relocated with his family after their house, behind Hotel Mount View, developed cracks.
Thakur Singh Rana, a hotelier who was also in a relief camp, had the opposite opinion, saying, “We prefer a one-time settlement arrangement. We do not want the government to impose any restrictions… We can move wherever we want if we are properly compensated…”
Also Read : Joshimath : The Real Truth of Sinking Town
Cracks can be found throughout the district.
Meanwhile, cracks have been seen on some houses in Joshimath’s Bahuguna Nagar of Karnaprayag Municipality area of Chamoli district.
