Residents flag fresh cracks in Joshimath

Dehradun: Days after Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the situation in crisis-hit Joshimath is “stable”, some residents of the holy town claimed new cracks have appeared in their houses and sought a fresh survey of their residences.

The residents also wrote a letter to sub-divisional magistrate Kumkum Joshi, on April 18, seeking the administration’s intervention in the matter.

“New cracks have appeared in our house. Earlier, there were only a few hairline cracks. Now, they have grown bigger and wider too,” Basanti Devi, a resident of Chhawani Bazar, said.

“We have come here to the tehsil to request the administration to carry out a fresh survey of our house. But nobody seems to be paying heed to our requests,” she added.

Narendra Lal, another resident of the same area, said: “My house has developed new cracks and our lives seem to be in danger. I have submitted a complaint to the SDM office for a fresh survey.”

According to the Chamoli district administration, at least 296 families have been shifted to temporary relief camps so far after 868 residential buildings and other structures developed cracks since the first week of January. Meanwhile, 181 have been put in the unsafe zone.

On January 25, eight technical agencies, such as Central Building Research Institute and IIT Roorkee, who conducted studies on the sinking town, submitted their report to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The report is yet to be made public.

In February, the Uttarakhand cabinet approved a policy for compensation and permanent rehabilitation for affected residents during a meeting chaired by chief minister Dhami. In a statement, the government said the rate of compensation for land will be decided on the basis of survey reports received from the technical institutes.

In the state budget for 2023-24, the government earmarked ₹1,000 crore for relief operations in Joshimath.

On April 8, chief minister Dhami said: “Initially, an atmosphere was created that the entire Joshimath town was sinking. People across the country would ask what’s happening to Joshimath. Somehow, we put the real situation before everyone. The situation is stable.”

Dismissing the chief minister’s claims, Atul Sati, convener of Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, said: “The situation on the ground is contrary to claims being made by the government and the local administration. They have been saying the town has become stable now. However, locals have been claiming that fresh cracks are appearing in their houses and are seeking another survey. The situation is worsening over the period.”

Joshi confirmed receiving complaints from some residents. “I have received complaints from some locals about new cracks in their houses. However, there are no complaints about houses or areas developing cracks for the first time. We have sent our technical team to conduct an assessment. On the basis of the assessment, we will take further a decision.”

She added: “If the technical team says the house is unsafe, we will shift the dwellers to safer areas and include them in the list of affected residents.