In Sinking Joshimath, 15 More Buildings To Be Razed, 849 Houses Develop Cracks, 4 Wards Declared 'Unsafe'

Following the controlled demolition of Hotel Malari Inn and Mount View in Joshimath, the Chamoli District administration in Uttrakhand will raze down 15 more buildings in the city after they were found to be "dangerous".

According to disaster management department secretary Ranjit Sinha, some buildings found to be dangerous are single-storey, while others are multi-storey.

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4 out of 9 wards unsafe

Like the two hotels, the other dangerous buildings will also be brought down through controlled demolition under the supervision of the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI).

Till now, cracks have appeared in nearly 849 houses, with four of the nine wards in the city being declared "unsafe", according to officials.

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As many as 164 houses have been found entirely "unsafe". However, a continuous survey of damaged buildings is still underway. The process of building a colony to settle 125 families on two hectares of land is also on.

"Four wards in Joshimath have been declared as completely unsafe. The rest of the wards have been found to be partially affected (by subsidence)," Sinha said on Tuesday.

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He added that the affected families have been shifted to shelter homes and the model huts will be ready within a week.

NTPC go back

Meanwhile, the affected residents of Joshimath have been raising their voices against the National Thermal Power Corporation, which they blame for the current crisis.

From the numerous small and big shops in the main markets to the residential properties, vehicles, and billboards, posters with the slogan "NTPC go back" have come up around the town.

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Tunnel construction by NTPC

Locals allege that the digging of a 12-km tunnel for the 520 MW Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric project exacerbated the subsidence in the area.

"We have always felt that NTPC, which has been working here, is responsible for the damage to a large extent. They are building a tunnel, their machine is stuck," said Sooraj Kapruwan, a local businessman.

"The work that should have been completed by 2012 started that year and is still going on. In between this work, we have had many issues earlier as well in many parts of the town," Kapruwan added.

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"The main reason behind this situation where the existence of Joshimath is in question is the Tapovan Vishnugad project and the NTPC company behind this project," Atul Sati, President of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS), said.

No links to the current situation: NTPC

The NTPC, however, has denied any link between the project and Joshimath's subsidence, saying the tunnel connected to the Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric project is over a kilometre under the ground and not below Joshimath.

"The tunnel built by NTPC does not pass under Joshimath town. This tunnel is dug by a tunnel boring machine (TBM) and no blasting is being carried out currently," it said in a statement last week.

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"It is wrong to relate the situation in Joshimath with the NTPC tunnel since it is being constructed with the help of a tunnel boring machine. Out of the 12 km long tunnel, 8.5 km tunnel is being done by tunnel boring and the rest will be done by blasting. The tunnel does not pass through Joshimath," said Rajendra Prasad Ahirwar, head of the Tapovan project.

Bhuvnesh Kumar, Additional GM Geology, NTPC, also said there is no link between the project and the land subsidence situation.

"Land subsidence is an old issue here and this tunnel (an NTPC project) has no connection with it. This 12 km tunnel is dug by a boring machine," he said.

Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said work on the NTPC plant has now stopped, and the central and state governments have taken cognizance of the allegations of damage due to this plant.

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