Joshimath sinking: Fury of locals block demolition of damaged buildings

Angry people foil plans to pull down 2 damaged hotels in Joshimath, demanding adequate compensation

Locals protest against the demolision of the unsafe hotels and houses after cracks appeared at the landslide affected area of Joshimath, in Chamoli district, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (PTI )

JOSHIMATH/NEW DELHI: Plans to begin demolition of damaged buildings in subsidence-hit Joshimath were stymied by protesting locals on Tuesday as they demanded adequate compensation. As soon as the news of the decision to demolish two major hotels Mount View and Malari Inn reached the business community, a large number of people and traders gathered and shouted slogans outside the hotels.

So far, 723 buildings have been identified as damaged with 86 of them declared unsafe because of the landslip in Joshimath. The town has a population of 20,000. In all, 462 people belonging to 131 families have been evacuated and housed in temporary relief camps.

Combo image of screengrabs taken from Google Earth, showing the change in buildings and infrastructure in Joshimath between Dec. 2006 (left), and November 2022. (PTI)

The administration deployed an additional three companies of the State Disaster Response Force to deal with the fallout of the demolition. Pulling down Malari Inn and Mount View took priority as they were leaning towards each other, posing a threat to houses around them. But angry people shouted slogans demanding that the administration first arrange for their rehabilitation before pulling down the structures.

District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana told this newspaper, “Coordinating with the public and traders and keeping in mind their safety, the administration will take appropriate steps in public interest.” But Thakur Singh Rana, the owner of Malari Inn, along with his family, were not impressed. They sat in dharna outside the hotel. Rana, a former head of the area, alleged, “One-fourth of the cost of my hotel is being offered by the administration as compensation. How fair is that? I am against demolishing the hotel without evaluating it.”

In Delhi, the Supreme Court rejected a plea for urgent listing of the Joishmath crisis, saying everything that is important in the country doesn’t have to come to it. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, while agreeing to list the plea on January 16, said democratic institutions were taking care of the situation on ground.

Complete evacuation is the priority
The National Crisis Management Committee on Tuesday said the immediate priority should be to ensure the complete and safe evacuation of all residents in the affected zone in Joshimath

Mark the change in structural density
Combo image (L) from Google Earth shows the change in buildings and infra in Joshimath between Dec 2006 and Nov 2022. (Below) One of the hotels lined up for demolished in the town