Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami visits `sinking` Joshimath, says `evacuating families is priority`

Joshimath, which is the gateway to famous pilgrimage site Badrinath, is currently facing a major challenge due to land subsidence. Known as the place where Adi Guru Shankaracharya subjected himself to penance centuries ago, Joshimath is sinking gradually with huge cracks developing in its houses, roads and fields.

New Delhi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday (January 7, 2023) visited the sinking "Joshimath" town to assess the situation on the ground and met the local people and assured them of all help. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader also held discussions with a team of officials and experts who have been camping in the town since Thursday and took their feedback on the evacuation exercise.

"Evacuating affected families is the government's priority for now. We are also working on a long-term rehabilitation strategy," Dhami told reporters after visiting houses in which huge cracks have appeared on the walls and ceilings.

"We are also working on a long-term rehabilitation strategy," he added.

He said that suitable places for relocation of residents near Pipalkoti and Gauchar are also being identified.

The officials have been asked not to get entangled in long procedural complexities and take direct clearance from him for projects related to the treatment of drainage and sewage systems in Joshimath, he added.

The Uttarakhand CM said that Joshimath is an important place from the cultural, religious and tourism points of view and all efforts will be made to save it.

Earlier on Friday, he said officials have been asked to shift around 600 families living in endangered houses in Joshimath to safe locations.

Joshimath, gateway to Badrinath, on brink of a disaster

Joshimath, which is the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence.

Known as the place where Adi Guru Shankaracharya subjected himself to penance centuries ago, Joshimath is sinking gradually with huge cracks developing in its houses, roads, and fields. 

A temple in Joshimath collapsed on Friday evening further alarming residents who have been living under constant fear amid heavily cracked walls of their houses for over a year.

Over 550 residential structures, including two big hotels here, have been damaged by landslides, according to a government survey conducted on Wednesday. However, the actual damage is estimated to be higher than the government estimate.

Declare Joshimath crisis a national disaster: Seer moves SC

Meanwhile, a seer has moved the Supreme Court seeking that the Joshimath crisis be declared a national disaster.

Contending that the incident has occurred due to large-scale industrialisation, the plea filed by Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati sought immediate financial assistance and compensation to the people of Uttarakhand.

It has also sought direction to the National Disaster Management Authority to actively support the residents of Joshimath in this challenging time.

"No development is needed at the cost of human life and their ecosystem and if anything such is happening it is the duty of the state and the Union government to stop the same immediately at war level," the plea said.