Several houses collapsed at Singhdhar in the Joshimath town of Uttarakhand in the midnight hours of January 2 and 3, sources said.
However, no lives were lost in these incidents, they added. According to sources, cracks at several houses and a nearby temple started widening, to the point where they eventually collapsed.
Speaking to ANI, Harish, a local, said, “It happened on January 2. It was around 2.30 am when we were sleeping. We heard a noise as the cracks on the walls opened up and big chunks of concrete started falling off.”
“We were scared and spent the night under an open sky. We were shifted to a government school nearby the day after,” he said.
“Many important documents and household items were destroyed. But thankfully, no lives were lost. Some hotels in Manohar Bagh, too, have developed big cracks,” Harish added.
Another local resident, Rishi Devi, said while his residence and many others had developed cracks for some time, the municipality refused to act saying it had no order from the higher authorities.
“Our house had developed cracks for some time. We had requested the municipality for help. But over a span of two days, on January 2 and 3, our house as well as others collapsed. A nearby temple, too, collapsed and we even lost our cattle. Both my sons are jobless now,” Rishi Devi told ANI. (ANI)
Suresh Nautiyal, a veteran environmentalist based in Uttarakhand, says consecutive governments have systematically blown away the gains of Chipko Movement
They have torn apart the heart of the hills in Uttarakhand. And this has been going on for decades, under all governments, be it the Congress or BJP. Indeed, the entire state is sitting on the brink of a man-made catastrophe.
Governments have cared two hoots for the vulnerable ecology of the hill state and willfully aligned with corporations, contractors, industrial companies and the construction mafia to irretrievably damage the inherent balance of nature. Roads, big dams which displaced thousands, real estate and mindless constructions violating all norms, unknown tunnels and aggressive religious tourism has all turned the clock to its current, tragic fate.
The murder of natural streams and rivers, the massacre of trees, the non-stop destruction of the organic eco-system in the relentless race for a capitalist model of unplanned development, blindly copying big cities in the plains, has ravaged the pristine ‘Dev Bhoomi’.
Joshimath is located on a ridge cut through by streams that descend from Vishnuprayag where Dhauliganga and Alaknanda rivers converge. Serious apprehensions were expressed in 2013 that the tunnels of the Tapovan-Vishnugad Hydropower Project of the NTPC could cause huge damage.
A recent report by geologists and scientists like Dr SP Sati, Naveen Juyal and Shubhra Sharma was ignored. They said the slopes around the town were in delicate and unstable condition. Predictably, their concerns and warnings were overlooked.
Nautiyal (inset) believes Char Dham Project is another disaster in the making
The government-appointed Mishra Commission’s report, submitted in 1978, had clearly stated that no major construction work be carried out in Joshimath, as well as in the Niti and Mana valleys, since this region is situated on moraines.
Several authoritative reports predicted this impending catastrophe. But, they continued to build tunnels, structures and digging, to appease their masters, and to legitimize the big thermal power plant project. Now the entire town, a major landmark in the pilgrim and adventure route, is sitting on a volcanic moment of destruction, with thousands of people and homes under threat, and the authorities are pretending that they had no clue!
The 125-km Rishikesh-Karnaprayag railway line, being constructed reportedly at a whopping cost of Rs 20,000-crore, will lead to the construction of 35 bridges and 17 tunnels. The project cost will inevitably increase in the years to come. Hence, one can see the ‘real reason’ behind this project!
This has been a pattern in the entire state from Harsil to Karnaprayag, which is literally sitting on perennial landslides. So much so, pleas by civil society groups have been dumped in the garbage can. We have been pleading for so long for an alternative eco-friendly approach to development because of the special conditions in the hills, but they refuse to listen.
Several towns like Gangotri, Uttarkashi and Gopeshwar are sinking. Landsides, cloudbursts and flash floods are inevitable and have become part of the tragic lives of the condemned people of Uttarakhand.
Now, they have cut lakhs of trees for the expressway and multi-lane for the ‘Char Dham Yatra’, the pet project of the prime minister. This has effectively destroyed all the gains of the Chipko Movement and after. This will certainly have an extremely damaging impact on the fragile Himalayan eco-system.
The central and state government, therefore, should treat the situation as an emergency, and immediately stop all construction work in the state, including thermal power projects. And this must include the PM’s pet project. Indeed, we need a serious rethink. Or else, one Joshimath would follow another!
(The narrator is a member of the Uttarakhand Chintan Group founded in 2007)
Indian Meteorological Department has predicted abatement in cold waves and cold day conditions over northwest India after 24 hours.
It also predicted dense to very dense fog conditions over many parts of Punjab and Haryana and Chandigarh during the next 24 hours and there will be a decrease in intensity and distribution after that. IMD said in a release on Friday that due to the approaching of two Western disturbances in quick succession, minimum temperatures are likely to rise gradually by 3 to 5 degree Celsius over many parts of northwest India during the next three days, and no significant change during subsequent three days.
“As a result, cold wave to severe cold wave conditions in isolated pockets are very likely over Rajasthan and cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh during the next 24 hours.
It predicted a fall by two to four degree Celsius in minimum temperatures over Bihar during the next two days and no significant change during the subsequent three days.
“No significant change in minimum temperatures very likely over Madhya Pradesh during the next 24 hours and rise by two to four degree Celsius during subsequent three days,” it said.
Referring to weather during the past 24 hours, the release said that the minimum temperatures were in the range of -1.5 degree Celsius in many parts of the plains of northwest India and in isolated pockets over adjoining areas of Madhya Pradesh. The lowest minimum temperature of 0 degrees Celsius was observed in Bikaner Rajasthan.
“Dense to very dense fog observed in most parts of Punjab, Haryana, in some parts of West Uttar Pradesh, in isolated pockets of east Uttar Pradesh and sub-Himalyan West Bengal,” the release said.
It said dense fog was observed in some areas of east Madhya Pradesh, in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, West Madhya Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, and Tripura today morning.
“Cold day to severe cold day conditions prevailed in many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, west Madhya Pradesh, in some parts of east Rajasthan, isolated pockets of west Rajasthan, Bihar and cold day conditions in isolated pockets over Uttarakhand,” the release said.
IMD said cold wave to severe cold wave conditions prevailed in many parts of east Madhya Pradesh, in some areas of east Rajasthan, isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and west Rajasthan, and cold wave conditions were observed in many parts of west Madhya Pradesh, and isolated pockets over Punjab and west Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday said that in the wake of the land subsidence at Joshimath in Chamoli district, he would hold a high-level meeting in Dehradun this evening.
“I will hold a high-level meeting with top officials in Dehradun this evening regarding landslides in Joshimath and cracks in houses,” Uttarakhand CM said while talking to ANI. Apart from the officials of the Disaster Management, Irrigation, Home Department, Commissioner Garhwal Mandal, and District Magistrate Chamoli will also participate in the meeting.
Dhami further said that he would visit Joshimath on Saturday and take stock of the situation.
“A team from BJP has also been sent there,” he added.
Notably, the BJP state unit has also formed a 14-member committee, under the coordination of the party’s state general secretary Aditya Kothari to assess the land subsidence incident and the damages being reported.
Joshimath, in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, is seeing severe landslides. Currently, all of the wards in the area have been affected by landslides.
Cracks have reportedly developed in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of continued land subsidence in the town, stated the District Disaster Management Department.
Following the appearance of cracks in the houses, a total of 66 families are reported to have migrated from Joshimath as of now.
Residents of Joshimath, a sacred town in Uttarakhand, have become alarmed after noticing fissures in the town’s houses and roadways and have been evacuated and shifted to night shelters of the municipality by the administration.
The affected people, their families, and children are currently living in night shelters, officials said.
The locals said that the people affected by the landslide, have been assured by the government that they will get pre-fabricated houses. However, they are worried about when the houses will be allotted to them.
The Uttarakhand government has formed a team of scientists to find out the reason behind the occurrence of land subsidence in Joshimath and the resultant damage reported to the houses.
The team will be visiting the spot and investigating the reason behind the land subsidence, said an official statement from the government.
According to an official statement, engineers from the Geological Survey of India, Wadia Institute, and IIT Roorkee have been included in the team formed on the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Cracks have reportedly developed in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of continued land subsidence in the town, stated the District Disaster Management Department.
Following the appearance of cracks in the houses, a total of 66 families are reported to have migrated from Joshimath as of now.
“Now the process of increasing cracks in Singhdhar and Marwadi has started. Badrinath NH near Singhdhar Jain locality and JP Company Gate in Marwadi, near the forest department check post, is continuously cracking. This crack is increasing every hour which is worrying,” said Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar. (ANI)
A total of 561 establishments in Joshimath reported cracks that emerged after land subsidence, with the most cases in the Ravigram ward in Uttarakhand, the Chamoli administration said in a bulletin on Thursday.
Out of 561 establishments, 127 are in the Gandhinagar ward, 28 are in the Marwadi ward, 24 are in the Lower Bazaar ward, 52 are in the Singhdhar ward, 71 are in the Manohar Bagh ward, 29 are in the Upper Bazaar ward 27 in the Sunil ward, 50 in Parsari, and 153 in Ravigram reported cracks,” the statement read.
The operations of Hotel View and Malari inn have been restricted under Disaster Management Act, 2005, till further orders, the statement added.
In the last 24 hours, a total of nine families have been displaced, which includes four families in Joshimath Municipal Corporation, one from Gurudwara Joshimath, one from Tourist Hostel, Manohar Bagh, and others, the statement read.
A total of 38 families have been displaced till now, it added.
Earlier in the day, in the wake of the news of land subsidence in Joshimath and cracks developing in many houses in the town, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said necessary actions would be taken to ensure the safety of the people.
Dhami said he would be visiting Joshimath soon to take stock of the situation and initiate necessary action.
“I will be visiting Joshimath in a few days and initiate steps to handle the situation. All the reports will be monitored and all the required steps will be taken. I have had a word with the Municipal Corporation chairman Shailendra Pawar to monitor the condition in the district,” said CM Pushkar Singh Dhami told ANI.
Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar said huge cracks appeared in the houses due to a leakage of water from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward.
The Chamoli district administration on Thursday asked Hindustan Construction Company Ltd (HCC) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to be prepared to shelter the affected families migrating from Uttarakhand’s Joshimath due to land subsidence. (ANI)
Thousands can’t be uprooted overnight, the Supreme Court on Thursday said while putting a stay on the Uttarakhand High Court’s decision ordering the State authorities to remove encroachments from railway land in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Abhay S Oka issued notices to the Indian Railways and Uttarakhand government on the pleas. “There cannot be uprooting of 50,000 people overnight,” said the bench, adding that there has to be segregation of people who have no right on the land and the need for rehabilitation while recognizing the need for railways.
Noting that people are living there for decades, the bench said there should be measures for rehabilitation since the issue involves a human angle.
Posting the case for hearing on February 7, the bench said that it has put to the Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati that full rehabilitation of the persons in the area is needed.
“Issue notice. In the meantime, there shall be a stay of the directions passed in the impugned order. There should also restrain any more construction or development on the land,” said the bench in its order.
During the hearing, the apex court said, “What is troubling us is how do you deal with a situation where people bought the land in the auction and took possession after 1947 and acquired title. You (railways) may acquire the land but what to do now? People live for 60-70 years some rehabilitation has to be done. There must be a culmination to the issue and we do not encourage what is going on.”
ASG Bhati for Indian Railways said that this strip of land belongs to the railways. Their claim is that it is their land, they are not asking for rehabilitation.
The top court said that maybe all of them cannot be painted with the same brush, and there may be different categories. “But there are people for whom a human angle needs to be considered. Someone will have to examine their documents,” it added.
Bhati said that Kathgodam Railway station does not have any space for expansion and there are 4365 unauthorized occupants.
The Uttarakhand High Court had on December 20 ordered the removal of encroachments from railway land in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani after giving notice to the residents one week in advance.
Led by Congress MLA from Haldwani, Sumit Hridayesh, residents of the area approached the Supreme Court on Monday challenging the High Court’s order. Another petition was also filed through advocate Prashant Bhushan.
A total of 4,365 encroachments will be removed from the area. Those facing eviction have been living on the land for many decades.
Residents have been protesting against the removal of encroachments from railway land in compliance with a High Court order.
The petition highlighted that the petitioners are poor people who have been lawful residents of Mohalla Nai Basti, Haldwani district for more than 70 years.
The petition stated that the names of local residents are entered in the municipal records of the house tax register and that they have been paying house tax regularly for years.
There are five government schools, one hospital, and two overhead water tanks in the area. It is further stated that “the long settled physical possession of the petitioners and their ancestors, some even prior to the date of Indian independence, has been recognized by State and its agencies and they have been given gas and water connections and even Aadhaar card numbers accepting their residential addresses.” (ANI)
Cracks have reportedly developed in as many as 561 houses in Joshimath as a result of continued land subsidence in the town, stated the District Disaster Management Department.
Following the appearance of cracks in the houses, a total of 66 families are reported to have migrated from Joshimath as of now. “Now the process of increasing cracks in Singhdhar and Marwadi has started. Badrinath NH near Singhdhar Jain locality and JP Company Gate in Marwadi, near the forest department check post, is continuously cracking. This crack is increasing every hour which is worrying,” said Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar
As many as nine houses in Marwadi have reported cracks and at the same time cracks have started appearing in most public roads of the ward, stated the City Board Chairman, Joshimath. District Disaster Management Department has also reported cases of water seepage from underground in JP Colony, Marwadi ward of Joshimath.
“Cracks are also increasing on all the main roads of Sunil Ward due to which people are facing a lot of difficulty in walking,” said Shalendar Panwar.
After continued land sinking in Joshimath, District Magistrate Chamoli has posted Joint Magistrate Deepak Saini in Joshimath.
Earlier in the day, in the wake of the news of land subsidence in Joshimath and cracks developing in many houses in the town, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that necessary actions would be taken to save the people of the district.
CM Dhami would be visiting Joshimath soon to take stock of the situation and initiate necessary actions. The statement comes in the backdrop of reports of huge cracks that have appeared in the houses of the area due to land subsidence which is known as the vertical sinking of land in an area.
“I will be visiting Joshimath in the coming days and initiate steps to handle the situation. All the reports will be monitored and all the required steps will be taken. I have had a word with the Municipal Corporation chairman Shailendra Pawar to monitor the condition in the district,” said CM Pushkar Singh Dhami while talking to ANI.
Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar said that huge cracks have appeared in the houses due to leakage of water from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward.
“I went to Dehradun to meet CM Dhami to discuss the entire situation. There have been reports that cracks have appeared in the houses due to leakage of water from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward,” said Shailendra Pawar.
Meanwhile, people in the Joshimath Town of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand have been fleeing from their houses to safer places following incidents of land subsidence in the area.
The winter season and the danger of house collapse due to landslides have now become a major issue in Joshimath Town. Nine wards of Joshimath town have been massively affected by landslides. The cracks in the walls and floors of the houses in the city area are getting deeper with each passing day, sounding an alarm for people.
Shailendra Pawar said that more than 3000 people from 576 houses in the city area have been affected due to this subsidence. “All the houses are being surveyed by the municipality. Many people have also left their homes,” he said.
Land subsidence has completely taken under its grasp the house of Madhavi Sati, the ex-Municipal President of Joshimath town area just like the other 574 houses in the town area, which have also developed huge cracks.
“I have no other option but to live in a ruined house,” she said. She said that the DM of Chamoli also visited the area but no conclusion has been reached so far.
“The people of Joshimath are worried about the future of the city,” she added.
Soon a delegation from Joshimath will be travelling to Dehradun to meet Uttarakhand Chief
Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami with the demand for rehabilitation for the people affected by the subsidence. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed for January 5 the hearing of petitions challenging Uttarakhand High Court’s decision ordering the State authorities to remove encroachments from railway land in Haldwani’s Banbhoolpura area.
The matter was mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud who said the matter would be heard on Thursday. Advocate Prashant Bhushan mentioned the plea before the top court saying, more than 5,000 houses in Haldwani are being demolished and it is similar to the matter scheduled to be heard on Thursday. He requested the apex court to tag the matter along with the matter coming up for hearing on January 5.
“Yes it will come up tomorrow,” CJI Chandrachud said.
The Uttarakhand High Court had on December 20 ordered the removal of encroachments from railway land in the Banbhoolpura area of Haldwani after giving notice to the residents one week in advance.
Led by Congress MLA from Haldwani, Sumit Hridayesh, residents of the area approached the Supreme Court on Monday challenging the High Court’s order.
A total of 4,365 encroachments will be removed from the area. Those facing eviction have been living on the land for many decades.
Residents have been protesting against the removal of encroachments from railway land in compliance with a High Court order. (ANI)
India’s star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant “is doing well and has been shifted to a private suite due to fear of infection”, revealed Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) Director Shyam Sharma on Monday.
“Due to fear of infection, we have told his family and hospital administration to shift him to a private suite. He is doing better and will recover soon,” said Sharma to ANI.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday announced that the state government will provide all help for the 25-year-old’s treatment, who was seriously injured in a road accident near Roorkee on December 30 while on his way to surprise his mother.
Pant was alone in the car and reportedly fell asleep at the wheel when the accident happened. According to a statement by the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) in coordination with the Max Hospital Dehradun where he has been admitted, the cricketer has suffered two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee along with injuries on his right wrist, ankle, toe, and back.
Sharma on Saturday flagged concerns over visitors flocking to the hospital to catch a glimpse of the cricketer, Rishabh Pant, who is under treatment.
“Those who are going to meet Pant should avoid, as there are chances of infection. There should be no VIP movement to meet Pant, and people visiting him should avoid it as there are chances of infection for Pant,” Sharma told ANI over the phone.
Shyam Sharma on Saturday arrived at Max Hospital in Dehradun to meet Pant. Sharma said: “He is stable and recovering well. Our BCCI doctors are in touch with the doctors here. Jay Shah is monitoring it. As of now, he’ll remain admitted here. He told me that he tried to save (his car) from a pothole (when the accident occurred).”
Pant escaped the near-fatal accident on Friday with burn injuries among others that will require plastic surgeries and he could be airlifted to Delhi if required. He met with the accident while returning from Delhi to Roorkee as his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India also issued a statement on Friday saying, “Pant has two cuts on his forehead, a ligament tear in his right knee and has also hurt his right wrist, ankle, and toe and has suffered abrasion injuries on his back. Rishabh’s condition remains stable, and he has now been shifted to Max Hospital, Dehradun, where he will undergo MRI scans to ascertain the extent of his injuries and formulate his further course of treatment, as per the BCCI statement shared with the media.” (ANI)
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached Dehradun’s Max hospital on Sunday afternoon to see the star cricketer Rishabh Pant, who is undergoing treatment after getting seriously injured in a road accident near Roorkee.
CM Dhami also inquired about the medical treatment being given to Pant and the progress the cricketer has made from the doctors at the hospital, as per the official sources. Dhami announced on Sunday that the Uttarakhand government on 26 January would honour the bus driver and the staff of Haryana roadways, who saved Rishabh Pant’s life.
Dr. Sushil Nagar of the Saksham Hospital, where Pant was admitted, told ANI earlier: “When he was admitted here, he was critical. But our team responded with quick treatment. We also did his X-Rays, and there were no bone injuries rather a ligament injury in his right knee, which will become more clear after MRI reports.”
Nagar also said, “There were two open wounds on his forehead and abrasions on his waist. There was nothing life-threatening. He was conscious and talking well. I asked him why he was driving at that point in time early morning. He said that he was going to pay a surprise visit to his mother.” (ANI)
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