Joshimath 'Sinking': SC Declines Urgent Hearing, Demolition Of Buildings, Hotels Today — Top Points

Authorities said that buildings that have have developed cracks will be demolished so that they do not harm nearby structures.

Joshimath Land Sinking: The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined an urgent hearing on the Joshimath land subsidence issue saying that everything important need not come to the apex court.

The court posted the matter for hearing on January 16.

On the other hand, the demolition of hotels and buildings in Joshimath will begin on Tuesday, informed district authorities. The development comes amid cracks that appeared on buildings and key roads in the holy town days back in the wake of landslides and subsidence. 

Hotels Malari Inn and Mount View, which have developed more cracks, will be demolished on Tuesday, reported ANI citing officials said. The report added that all residents have been safely evacuated from the ‘unsafe zones’.  

Chamoli DM informed ANI, "Buildings marked under unsafe zone have been vacated and buffer zone in its vicinity is also being vacated. Today a team from Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee will come here and they will identify the buildings which need to be demolished and under their guidance, further action will be taken."

A National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team has also been put on standby to assist the district administration in the demolition work. 

“Experts are on the ground and the administration will take action on their directions and advice,” said the NDRF, reported ANI. 

Here Are The Top Developments In The Joshimath Land Subsidence

• An SDRF team has been deployed at the site where the demolition is set to take place shortly.


• Thakur Singh Rana, the owner of Hotel Malari Inn, said that he should have been given notice, and a valuation of the hotel should have also been made.


• Chamoli DM said that buildings marked under unsafe zone have been vacated & buffer zone in its vicinity is also being vacated.


• He added that a team from CBRI, Roorkee will come here & they will identify the buildings which need to be demolished & under their guidance, further action will be taken.


• Amid the issue of land subsidence in Joshimath, cracks are also seen on some houses in Bahuguna Nagar of Karnaprayag Municipality.


• District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana informed on Monday that a central team was to arrive in Chamoli district to survey the damaged properties, ANI report added. 


• On Monday, a team from the Ministry of Jal Shakti also arrived at Joshimath to take stock of the situation. The areas where the buildings will be demolished have been vacated by the administration after they were declared 'unsafe zones'.  

• National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) officials also called on Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami at his residence on Monday and discussed relief and rescue operations.


• The officials apprised the CM of all the developments and investigation into the geographical condition of the Joshimath area and the causes of the landslide.  


• Meanwhile, the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Chamoli issued a bulletin related to disaster management in view of landslides in the Joshimath area.  


• According to the bulletin, cracks have been noticed in a total of 678 buildings in the Joshimath town area. In view of security, a total of 81 families have been temporarily displaced, the report added. 


• 213 rooms have been temporarily identified as habitable, with their capacities estimated at 1191. Also, 491 rooms/halls have been identified in Pipalkoti outside Joshimath area, with a combined capacity of 2,205, the bulletin said.  


• The administration has been distributing food kits and blankets to the affected families. ANI reported that a total of 63 food kits and 53 blankets have been made available for the affected locals. 


• In a meeting with state secretariat employees to discuss the situation in Joshimath, Chief Secretary S. S. Sandhu urged them to expedite the evacuation process since "every minute is important."


• More than 200 homes in the sinking town were marked with red crosses by the district administration as being unfit for habitation. They were instructed to move into temporary relief centres or rent housing, for which the state government would provide each family with assistance of Rs. 4000 per month for the following six months.


• For the relief and rescue operations, members of the National Disaster Response Force and State Disaster Response Force have been dispatched.


• For the impacted population, temporary relief centres have been constructed in 16 locations around Joshimath. Along with these, 19 other hotels, guesthouses, and educational facilities in Joshimath and 20 further ones beyond the town in Pipalkoti have been located for the impacted residents.


• According to Sandhu, work should be done right once to reduce toe erosion in the regions affected by subsidence, and crumbling homes that have developed significant fissures should be demolished quickly to prevent additional harm.


• Broken sewer and drinking water lines should also be fixed right away, he advised, since they might make the situation in the subsidence zone more difficult.