Two More Hotels Lean Dangerously in Sinking Joshimath; Wider Cracks Near Auli Ropeway

Joshimath: Two more hotels fall prey to land subsidence in Joshimath on Sunday. They started leaning toward each other dangerously. Cracks widened near the Auli ropeway and in other areas of this Himalayan town of religious importance in Uttarakhand.

According to sources, water flow increased in the underground channel burst in JP Colony in the Marwari area of the town. Water seepage started in this area from January 2.

Meanwhile, the demolition of two adjacent hotels Malari Inn and Mount View is continuing in Joshimath. They were declared unsafe.

Meanwhile, two other hotels, Snow Crest and Comet have also started to tilt towards each other. They were vacated by the authorities.

The gap between these two hotels was around four feet in the past. Now it has come down to a few inches. The roofs of both hotels are almost touching each other.

Wider cracks have appeared near the Joshimath-Auli ropeway. Operation of this ropeway was stopped when land subsidence started in Joshimath.

The 4.5 km ropeway, considered one of Asia’s largest, connects Joshimath with the international skiing destination of Auli. A crack around four inches wide and 20 feet long has appeared near the walls in the ropeway premises.