The Uttarakhand administration on Wednesday made renewed efforts to persuade hoteliers and locals refusing to allow the demolition of two precariously standing hotels in Joshimath. On Monday, the government had directed the razing of unstable structures, starting with two hotels – ‘Malari Inn’ and ‘Mount View’ – that pose threat to settlements around the structures.
A fresh round of talks was held today between Secretary to the Chief Minister, Meenakshi Sundaram, and the protesters who have been demanding compensation on the lines of Badrinath before the demolition exercise is undertaken.
An official told news agency PTI that only two hotels in Joshimath need to be dismantled, and not the houses that are demarcared unfit to live in.
“I want to clarify one thing. Only two hotels are to be dismantled. Demolition, though being used widely, is not the precise word in this context. Houses in the danger zone are not going to be demolished. The red cross marks put on them is only to have them vacated,” Sundaram, who is also the nodal officer for the land subsidence-hit town, said.
Joshimath, which is the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib as well as tourist destination Auli, has been declared a land subsidence-hit area by the state government after huge cracks developed in houses, roads and the ground. A total of 131 families have so far been shifted to temporary relief centres in the holy town.
Meanwhile, the chief secretary has announced Rs 1.5 lakh interim assistance to the affected families. Out of this amount, Rs 50,000 is being provided in advance for house shifting and Rs 1 lakh for disaster relief which will be adjusted later. Those who want to shift to rented accommodation will be given Rs 4,000 per month for six months, he said.
Locals have been sitting on a protest at the tehsil office for nearly a week against state-owned power producer National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). The dharna is being organised by the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti. They allege that the project contributed to the further weakening of Joshimath’s already brittle foundation as it is situated on landslide debris.
However, NTPC has rejected claims that the crisis in Joshimath is due to the project.