On Wednesday, the Uttarkhand government announced Rs 1.5 lakh in interim relief for affected families who were relocated to safer areas after land subsidence in Joshimath caused cracks in houses and businesses.
‘Each family will be given immediate interim assistance of Rs 1.50 lakh. Apart from the two hotel buildings which are marked ‘unsafe’, no other building is being demolished. Till now, cracks have been noticed in 723 buildings’, the Secretary to Uttarakhand chief minister R Meenakshi Sundaram said today.
Impact of Land Subsidence: Relocation Efforts and Building Cracks
According to the district administration, cracks have appeared in 723 buildings in Joshimath, Uttarakhand, which has been affected by land subsidence, and 131 families have been relocated to safer locations. ‘We are in contact with local representatives and have asked them to notify us if any new cracks appear. 131 families have been relocated to relief centres,’ Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana told.
The district magistrate said that a central team will survey the damage to properties due to the land subsidence and suggest a way forward while coordinating with the local administration in relief and rescue efforts. ‘A team of scientists from IIT Roorkee have been asked to inspect the buildings of the affected Bahuguna Nagar of Karnprayag where cracks were reported’, Khurana had said.
Two unsafe buildings demolished
Today, RM Sundaram, Secretary to the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, and district administration met with residents whose homes had been damaged. ‘A positive development is that water leakage near Jaypee Company is decreasing, reaching 250 LPM last evening. There have been no new cracks since January 7, and the old cracks have not grown larger. Two unsafe buildings must be demolished, and we appeal to the public for help,’ said the secretary to Uttarakhand’s chief minister.
Locals in Joshimath on Tuesday protested against National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) demanding its withdrawal from the state. District officials have asked people to vacate homes and other establishments that have been identified for demolition which have developed cracks and have been identified as ‘unsafe’. These buildings have all been marked with red ‘X’ marks.
Two hotels, Hotel Malari Inn and Hotel Mount View, have been designated for demolition, and the process was supposed to begin on Tuesday evening but was halted due to protests by the owner of Malari Inn and some locals. Protesters demanded compensation based on the rates listed in the Badrinath Dham redevelopment masterplan. The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) had been enlisted to supervise the demolition, with personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on standby. According to reports, the hotel owners will meet with the district magistrate to seek compensation.