DEHRADUN: Rehabilitation of Joshimath City, which was affected due to the land submergence disaster, has become a big challenge for the government. While the government has not yet been able to prepare a paper account of rehabilitation, displacement, and the affected are also not unanimous. While some people are talking about one-time settlement, many people do not want to leave their ancestral homes associated with their old memories.
According to an official in revenue department, as many as 269 families in the land submergence-hit area have been shifted to relief camps set up at various places. These affected people are also worried about their future.
Vinita Sundariyal, Rekha Joshi, Ranjana Negi, Anju Khanduri, Sushma Sati, Sarita Sati, Sarita Chamoli, Rekha Namboori, Jyoti Nautiyal and many more say that the government should assess the house, farm and give compensation on the lines of Badrinath so that they can settle their land in lump sum.
Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana told The New Indian Express on Sunday, quoting the District Disaster Management Authority, "863 buildings in 9 wards of Joshimath Nagar area have been affected. Of these, 181 buildings have been kept in unsafe areas. The district administration has so far temporarily displaced 925 members of 275 families to various safer places due to security reasons".
District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana also inspected the land identified in dhaka village for the displacement of disaster-affected people on the spot, he said, "Two meetings have been held with the committee regarding the security, rehabilitation, displacement of Joshimath. The committee has given some suggestions under which paper documents are also being prepared. Along with this, their suggestions are also being taken from the affected public representatives".
People living in Joshimath for decades also say, "Displacement of Joshimath affected by landslides is not easy. It is India's border town bordering China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is also describing border towns, villages as the first village". Also, the government plans to develop these areas in the tourism sector. In such a situation, displacement elsewhere in Joshimath would mean the destruction
of the city, which is not good for strategic and security as well as social infrastructure.