Dangerous Cracks in 849 Buildings of Joshimath

Joshimath: At least 849 buildings in Joshimath, the Himalayan town of religious importance, have developed dangerous cracks. Out of them, 165 are located in the danger zone.

The Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS) on Monday urged the Centre to take over the relief and rehabilitation work in Joshimath. The organization expressed its displeasure over the relief and rehab measures of the Uttarakhand government.

The JBSS demanded to scrap NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project. This organization blamed the tunnel of this hydel project for the recent land subsidence crisis in Joshimath.

In a letter to PM Narendra Modi, JBSS alleged that the Uttarakhand government had ignored warnings of this imminent disaster for 14 months. The organization cited a research paper published in an international journal in 2015. The report alleged that the tunnel of the hydel project was being dug was dug in the “fault zone”.

Joshimath is the gateway to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib. It is also the destination to approach the international skiing destination Auli. It is now facing the danger of land subsidence as gaping cracks are appearing on buildings, roads, and public facilities.