Joshimath updates: Locals oppose demolition of unsafe houses, hotels; demand compensation

Joshimath residents staged a massive protest on Tuesday ahead of the demolition of two hotels in the town, which have been earmarked as unsafe. The administration has identified 86 houses as “unsafe” so far and will be demolished in the first phase of demolition. In addition to this, the administration has also marked two hotels – Mount View and Malari Inn – that would be demolished in the first phase.  

Hotel owners and locals have been protesting against the demolition and have demanded compensation as per the Badrinath Dham master plan. Some of the residents have said that they would only allow the demolition drive to happen after analysing the compensation package.  

The Joshimath administration has called an urgent meeting of locals, hotel owners, and other officials to look into the situation.  

On Monday, the state government ordered the razing of unstable structures, starting with these two hotels. But when State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) personnel along with heavy machinery reached the site, protestors started to oppose the demolition. 

On Tuesday, Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand SS Sandhu held a meeting at the secretariat to discuss the landslides in Joshimath. He instructed the District Magistrate of Chamoli Himanshu Khurana to closely monitor the situation.  

As per a report in ANI, Sandhu has emphasised the importance of taking steps to prevent loss of life and property caused by landslides, suggesting the immediate relocation of families to safer areas and the demolition of buildings considered at high risk as priority measures. 

Joshimath, which is the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites, such as Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, has been declared a land subsidence-hit area after huge cracks developed in houses, roads, and the ground. 

The leaning hotels 

Malari Inn has developed deep cracks, has almost separated from its foundation, and has been bending towards Hotel Mount View. On Tuesday, a team of the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), which has been given the charge of the demolition, carried out a survey of the two hotels.  

Following that, the CBRI and SDRF teams started their demolition work, and a group of residents staged protests and prevented them from entering Malari Inn.  

Owners of Mount View and Malari Inn, both earmarked for demolition, said they were unaware of the demolition, and demanded that a one-time settlement plan should have been offered to them before the decision to demolish was made. 

“I am demanding compensation be given to me like it was given during development projects in Badrinath. The state government isn't cooperating at all. I'll sit here until I die,” says Thakur Singh Rana, owner of Joshimath's Hotel Malari Inn. 

CBRI scientist Dr CP Kanungo said, " Due to land subsidence, there're cracks appearing in the land due to which foundation of buildings is quite affected.A seven-storey hotel building's foundation has weakened. The buildings will be razed systematically and the emphasis will be on reducing the load in the slope. The demolition process would be carried out in steps, from the top to bottom, and is estimated to take three-four days." 

Damaged houses 

As per estimates of the District Disaster Management Authority, Chamoli, there are at present 800 damaged houses, which need urgent attention. Cracks have appeared in a total of 800 buildings in the Joshimath town area due to landslides and 131 families have been shifted to temporary relief centres. As many as 344 relief camps and 491 rooms have been identified in Joshimath. 

The state government has handed over Rs 5,000 to the affected families for the purchase of household items. An amount of Rs 1.30 lakh per building has been paid to the owners of ten damaged buildings. The administration also distributed food kits, milk, and blankets to affected families. 

On Tuesday, the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), after taking a stock of the situation, stressed on the immediate priority should be to ensure the complete and safe evacuation of all residents in the affected zone. Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba said that priority should also be accorded to the demolition of the vulnerable structures safely, an official statement said.