Compensation for 2 Joshimath hotels to be razed; survey in 1 week
Each affected family of Joshimath will be given ₹1.5 lakh, the government announced on Wednesday, a day after the protest by the residents and the owners of establishments stalled the government's demolition work.
As Joshimath is battling a gradual sinking of the land with several structures being identified as dangerous to live in, the government on Wednesday said compensation will be given according to market value to the owners of the establishments which will be required to be demolished. As of now, only the two hotels – Malari Inn and Mount View Hotel – are to be demolished and the government will complete its survey of the condition of the houses within a week. Residences in Joshimath, the town at an altitude of 6,107 feet, started reporting cracks in December which turned into a major catastrophe within days, though subsidence of land is not a new issue here.
'My son lives in France... sitting here for people of Joshimath': Hotel owner
The demolition of two hotels was stalled on Tuesday owing to the resistance of the hotel owners who claimed to be caught off guard by the sudden developments and said they were not informed by the administration. R Meenakshi Sundaram, secretary to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, held a meeting with the residents and owners of establishments which have been damaged in Joshimath Subsidence to discuss the issue.
The Uttarakhand government has announced ₹1.5 lakh interim relief to affected families who have been shifted out from their residences in the wake of the Joshimath disaster.
'Not right to stop projects that have no effect here'
Chief Minister's secretary R Sundaram said in the meeting, the cooperation of the local people was sought for the proposed demolition. As the NTPC Hydel project has come on the radar with cracks appearing on structures, R Sundaram said, "Roads are being made for people only. Construction works that will affect things here need to be stopped but it is not right to stop other projects which have no link with Joshimath land subsidence."
"Compensation will be given according to the compensation that was given in Uttar Kashi. Badrinath-like compensation is not possible here," Sundaram said.
Joshimath sinking: Malari Inn and Mount View Hotel
A day after the demolition of Malari Inn and Mount View Hotel was stalled owing to the protest of the locals and the hotel owners, the government said that there were many misconceptions among people regarding the demolition. "The hotel owners also had a misconception that they will have to bear the cost of the dismantling," Sundaram said.
'Govt's aim is not to demolish'
Sundaram said Malari Inn and Mount View Hotel will be demolished because they now pose a danger to the surrounding structures. "These two buildings will crumble and will pull down another 15-20 structures," Sundaram said adding that people have been asked to give applications on their own if they fear that their structure will collapse. "Our evaluation team is evaluating all houses so that we have the measurement of every house in case they come down. We are giving ₹1.5 lakh to the families who have been moved out of their residences so that they can shift to any comfortable area with their belongings," Sundaram said.
