Joshimath residents reluctant to shift to faraway areas

The Uttarakhand government’s proposal to relocate residents of Joshimath to Pipalkoti, 30 km away, in Chamoli district, is facing resistance from locals who are either seeking rehabilitation closer to the religious town for better livelihood or a one-time financial payout to relocate on their own.

During his visit to Joshimath – where land subsidence has threatened the lives of the 20,000-strong population – last week, chief minister 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.

Dhami also mentioned Gauchar, 90 km away from Joshimath, as another possible location. While Pilakoti is located on the banks of Alaknanda river and is connected to the Rishikesh-Badrinath highway, Gauchar is located on the other side of the river.

“The government should rehabilitate us to a location close to Joshimath. If the government is thinking about shifting us to places away from this town, we don’t want that. If we go to places like Gauchar and Pipalkoti, will the people living there accept us?” said Deepak Rawat, a taxi driver whose family moved to a relief camp in the municipal office after their house behind Mount View in Singh Dhar ward – one of the worst affected – developed cracks.

Rawat urged the government to quickly decide about their rehabilitation as they don’t want to stay in the relief camps for too long. “At least five to six people, including children and the elderly, are living in one room here. How can we manage like this for so long,” he said.

At least 723 buildings in the hill town had developed cracks, as of Tuesday. The district administration put red crosses on more than 200 houses in the sinking town, asking the occupants to either shift to the temporary relief centres or into a rented accommodation for which each family will get assistance of ₹4,000 per month for the next six months from the state government.

State chief secretary SS Sandhu directed officials to vacate areas in the demarcated danger zone, and a team from the Union government carried out inspections to determine the extent and cause of the land subsidence.

At least 37 more families were shifted to relief camps on Tuesday, taking the total number of displaced families to 131.

Many residents appeared to be reluctant to leave their homes and belongings, while scores more were seen moving household belongings out.

“It (Pipalkoti) is too far from Joshimath and the people already living there won’t accept us,” Geeta Parmar, a resident of Manohar Bagh, said.

Atul Sati, convener of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, said he has written to the disaster management secretary, suggesting a few locations where the affected people can be rehabilitated.

“Joshimath has enough land to rehabilitate the affected people. I would suggest the government rehabilitate the affected people in the horticulture department’s land in Joshimath, Koti Farm, and Auli after a geological survey of these places,” he said.

Some residents suggested a “one-time settlement plan” under which the government can compensate for the losses suffered by them so that they can settle in areas of their choice.

“We want a one-time settlement plan. We don’t want the government to impose a place on us by shifting us to a particular location of their choice. If we are paid according to the losses, we can shift wherever we want, be it Dehradun or somewhere else,” Thakur Singh Rana, a hotelier who was among those shifted to the relief camp, said.

Echoing Rana’s views, another resident Anjali Rawat said: “We have a house of five rooms in Singh Dhar ward. We should either be rehabilitated to a nearby location or the government should give us an amount equal to the losses we suffered.”

Chamoli district magistrate Himanshu Khurana said a Geological Survey of India (GSI) team is conducting a survey of possible areas, including Pipalkoti, for relocating the Joshimath residents and a final decision will be taken on the basis of a report submitted by them.

On the residents’ reluctance to shift to far away locations, Khurana said: “We will also take into consideration their suggestions and the right decision will be taken after consulting them.”

Disaster management secretary Ranjit Sinha also said a decision will be taken on the basis of the GSI team’s report. “We have requested the GSI to conduct a survey and submit a report in this regard,” he said.

According to the 2011 Census, Joshimath town has a population of over 16,000 people. However, the district administration estimates the current population is between 20,000 and 25,000.