Articles by Amit Bathla
Rain, snowfall hit relief operations as Joshimath fights crisis
The season’s first snowfall and rain in various parts of Uttarakhand have intensified fears of increasing land subsidence in Joshimath town.
Updated on Jan 21, 2023 07:32 AM IST
After hotels, dismantling of residential structures begin in Joshimath
On January 12, the district administration began the process of razing Hotel Malari Inn and began dismantling the adjoining damaged Mount View the next day.
Updated on Jan 20, 2023 10:32 PM IST
Snowfall in Joshimath triggers fear among land subsidence affected families
A section of the locals in Joshimath alleged that the authorities didn’t take the required steps despite the weather forecast
Published on Jan 20, 2023 01:11 PM IST
Two years on, rehabilitation still eludes villagers in Chamoli
Almost two years after Raini village in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district faced the brunt of a glacial lake outburst in February 2021 leaving over 204 people dead, the promise of rehabilitation has remained a pipe dream for residents of the sinking village with officials attributing the delay to “non-availability” of land.
Updated on Jan 18, 2023 02:09 PM IST
Amit Bathla, Raini (chamoli)
Two years of Chamoli tragedy: Known for Chipko movement, Raini village still awaits rehabilitation
In July 2021, a team of geologists in their report to the district magistrate had declared the village “inhabitable”.
Published on Jan 16, 2023 07:44 PM IST
Amit Bathla I Edited by Shilpa Ambardar, Raini (chamoli)
‘Cracks not leaving us behind’: Many families in Joshimath stare at second rehabilitation
Panic-gripped residents scrambling to collect their belongings and evacuate their cracked homes in Joshimath has become a routine sight over the past few weeks due to largescale land subsidence in the temple town
Published on Jan 15, 2023 11:39 PM IST
A deep rumble, cracks: What ensued in Joshimath on January 2
An army of government experts have been deployed to understand what caused the ground to shift beneath the residents of Joshimath town with roughly 20,000 people.
Updated on Jan 15, 2023 01:27 AM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
Joshimath demolition picks up pace, 147 buildings unsafe
A group of 20 labourers worked on bringing down Malari Inn and Mount View, cutting down tin roofs with gas cutters and removing the wooden windows and doors, the officials said. The dismantling is being carried out in two shifts.
Updated on Jan 15, 2023 04:11 AM IST
Amit Bathla and Ajay Ramola, Joshimath/mussoorie
Joshimath authorities begin razing hotels in danger zone
Authorities in Joshimath decided on Friday to simultaneously demolish two adjacent hotels that have been dangerously leaning against each other due to land subsidence that has wrecked havoc in the town.
Updated on Jan 14, 2023 12:16 AM IST
Amit Bathla and Ajay Ramola, Joshimath/mussoorie
Joshimath: Demolition of two hotels underway; cracks appear in Karanprayag homes
On Friday, the authorities began the demolition of hotel Mount View along with Malari Inn at around 7:30am, the officials said
Published on Jan 13, 2023 07:20 PM IST
Amit Bathla and Ajay Ramola
Uttarakhand: 5 booked for assaulting Dalit with burning wood for praying at temple
The 22-year-old Dalit man was assaulted with burning wood and taken hostage overnight for praying at a temple at Salra in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi
Published on Jan 13, 2023 10:22 AM IST
Amid demolition, CM says ‘natural disaster’
Cranes rolled into Joshimath on Thursday to begin the process of demolishing a hotel damaged by subsidence even as Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stoked a row by arguing against growing scientific evidence to insist that the sinking of land in parts of the holy town and cracks on 700-odd buildings was a “natural disaster” not caused by anyone.
Published on Jan 12, 2023 11:51 PM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
Uttarakhand CM says Joshimath crisis ‘natural disaster’; People seek solution
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held talks with a newly formed committee of local public representatives and officials to discuss the immediate distribution of interim relief for the victims of Joshimath crisis and decide on a market rate for compensation to people for rehabilitation
Published on Jan 12, 2023 03:49 PM IST
‘I keep looking at cracks’: Joshimath residents live in constant fear
Overall, 86 homes have been declared unsafe in the town so far, and 145 families have been shifted to temporary relief camps that dot Joshimath.
Updated on Jan 12, 2023 05:03 AM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
Joshimath demolition yet to begin as protests continue
Authorities have been trying to bring down a few residential and other “unsafe” establishments in the holy town since Tuesday, as several structures in its steep bylanes started showing signs of land subsidence from the first week of January.
Updated on Jan 12, 2023 05:05 AM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
Joshimath land subsidence: Protests continue as locals demand compensation
The protestors have been putting up resistance against the demolition drive demanding compensation as per the Badrinath master plan
Updated on Jan 11, 2023 06:55 PM IST
Joshimath: Families live in fear as cracks at homes give them sleepless nights
The Chamoli district administration earlier this week had divided the land subsidence affected Joshimath town into three zones on the basis of possible danger – ‘Danger’, ‘Buffer’ and ‘Safe’
Updated on Jan 11, 2023 06:16 PM IST
‘Only took some trunks...but no space in Joshimath relief camp’
Joshimath, a town of 20,000 people, was already a flurry of activity as several structures in its steep bylanes started showing signs of land subsidence.
Updated on Jan 11, 2023 02:41 AM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
Joshimath residents reluctant to shift to faraway areas
During his visit to Joshimath last week, CM Pushkar Singh Dhami told reporters that the government is focusing on the immediate evacuation of the affected people and was considering rehabilitating them to safer areas such as Pipalkoti.
Updated on Jan 11, 2023 08:00 AM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
Demolitions in Joshimath deferred as locals protest
Protests erupted in Joshimath as the administration moved to demolish unstable buildings, including two precariously standing hotels, even as more structures developed cracks due to land subsidence that has threatened settlements in much of the hill town.
Updated on Jan 10, 2023 11:43 PM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
Joshimath: Hotel Malari Inn to be demolished tomorrow after survey completed
Malari Inn’s owner Thakur Singh Rana, who reached the hotel on Tuesday morning after the demolition news, alleged the authorities are razing down his property without conducting a financial assessment.
Updated on Jan 10, 2023 08:03 PM IST
Joshimath sinking: Locals seek nearby relocation, few demand ‘one-time settlement’
The affected residents meanwhile have been demanding relocation to an area which is closer to Joshimath while a few have even sought a ‘one-time settlement’ from the government covering their losses.
Published on Jan 10, 2023 12:29 AM IST
Amit BathlaI Edited by Shilpa Ambardar, Joshimath
‘What to leave behind’: Panic grips Joshimath residents
The town of over 20,000 people saw streets packed with commercial vehicles loaded with belongings from evacuated houses as authorities stepped up relief and rescue efforts to forestall any loss of life. The rushed evacuation left many residents emotional.
Updated on Jan 10, 2023 05:12 AM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
Joshimath sinking: How man-made factors assaulted fragile ecology
Joshimath , on the Rishikesh-Badrinath National Highway (NH 7), it is an overnight halt for the people visiting the shrines at Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and tourist destinations Auli, and the Valley of Flowers.
Updated on Feb 08, 2023 03:13 PM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
All weak buildings to be torn down in Joshimath
Teams fanned out, painting houses with a red X as the Uttarakhand government on Monday ordered all unstable structures to be demolished in Joshimath, even as more buildings developed cracks and top officials warned that every minute counts as they stepped up evacuation efforts.
Published on Jan 09, 2023 11:17 PM IST
Amit Bathla, Joshimath
Joshimath sinking: SDRF carries out rescue operation on a war footing
According to the experts, there are several factors contributing to the ‘sinking’ of Joshimath, including its location in an area prone to landslides, extreme weather events, and geological factors.
Published on Jan 09, 2023 04:49 PM IST
Staring at uncertain future, say Joshimath residents
As several houses in Joshimath in Chamoli district developed cracks due to land subsidence activities, the Uttarakhand government on Sunday declared all nine wards of the temple town as “landslide-subsidence zone” and unsafe for living.
Updated on Jan 09, 2023 09:04 AM IST
Joshimath land subsidence: Locals vacate as govt declares their houses ‘unsafe’
A team of experts from NDMA, the National Institute of Disaster Management, the Geological Survey of India, IIT Roorkee, the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, the National Institute of Hydrology and the Central Building Research Institute are studying the situation.
Updated on Jan 08, 2023 10:49 PM IST
‘Prayers heard’: Haldwani residents hail SC order
Over 4,000 families comprising nearly 50,000 people, a majority of them belonging to Muslim community, live on the disputed land
Published on Jan 06, 2023 11:39 AM IST
Amit Bathla/Ankur Sharma
The long tussle over homes by the railway tracks in Haldwani
The Railways have claimed in court that 4,365 houses have encroached on its land, and need to be removed for the expansion of the Haldwani railway station.
Updated on Jan 06, 2023 12:58 PM IST
Ankur SharmaAmit Bathla