News Analysis India

Tag: Uttarakhand

  • EC takes cognisance of sudden increase in voters in Uttarakhand, orders inquiry

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: The Election Commission of India has ordered an inquiry into the reasons for the unprecedented rapid increase in the number of voters in Uttarakhand in the last 10 years. On the orders of the Commission, the State Election Commission has written a letter to the District Election Officers and ordered a quick investigation by constituting committees at the district level, assembly constituency level and polling station level in every district. 

    During the Uttarakhand assembly elections in 2022, Dehradun-based think tank Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation had released a detailed report based on Election Commission data on the unprecedented increase in the number of voters in the state in the last 10 years. The foundation had compared the voting percentage with voters in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. Amongall these states, Uttarakhand had the highest increase in the number of voters.

    Based on this report, former IFS officer and Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha president Dr V K Bahuguna had written to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister before the Chief Election Commissioner, insisting on demanding an inquiry into the matter. Bahuguna said, “This unusual increase in the number of voters hasthreatened the cultural integrity of the state. Uttarakhand’s carrying capacity has already ended many years ago”.

    On the basis of the SDC Foundation’s report, the committee to be formed at the district level to investigate will have four members, including the Deputy District Election Officer. The assembly constituency-level committee will have six members, including the electoral registration officer, and the booth-levelcommittee will have five members, including Patwari nominated by the deputy district magistrate. The State Election Commission has asked to complete this investigation and submit the report by February 28, 2023.

    Welcoming the Election Commission’s order to probe the comparative increase, SDC Foundation chairman Anup Nautiyal told The New Indian Express, “The seats where the number of voters have increased the most are all seats in the plains. Among the 70 seats in the state, Dharampur assembly constituency in Dehradun district recorded the highest voter registration. In the last 10 years, the number of voters in this assembly constituency has increased by 72 percent”.

    Apart from Dharampur, Rudrapur, Doiwala, Sahaspur, Kaladhungi, Kashipur, Raipur, Kichha, BHEL Ranipur and Rishikesh have seen the highest increase in the number of voters from 41 per cent to 72 per cent.

    Nautiyal further said, “With such a large number of people coming from outside and settling in Uttarakhand, there is a lot of pressure on the state’s ability to take care of the cities. Most cities in the state are already burdened far beyond their carrying capacity. This is leading to lack of civic amenities and different kinds of urban problems”.

    In the next few months, municipal elections are to be held in eight municipal corporations of the state – Dehradun, Haridwar, Roorkee, Rishikesh, Kotdwar, Haldwani, Kashipur and Rudrapur.

    SDC chairman Nautiyal expressed apprehension, “These eight cities and their districts have recorded the highest increase in the number of voters. It needs to be noted that people are being brought in from outside to strengthen the vote bank. Along with all this, there may be a possibility of doing so in a plannedmanner for social, religious or security reasons as well as political reasons”.

    DEHRADUN: The Election Commission of India has ordered an inquiry into the reasons for the unprecedented rapid increase in the number of voters in Uttarakhand in the last 10 years. On the orders of the Commission, the State Election Commission has written a letter to the District Election Officers and ordered a quick investigation by constituting committees at the district level, assembly constituency level and polling station level in every district. 

    During the Uttarakhand assembly elections in 2022, Dehradun-based think tank Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation had released a detailed report based on Election Commission data on the unprecedented increase in the number of voters in the state in the last 10 years. The foundation had compared the voting percentage with voters in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Goa. Among
    all these states, Uttarakhand had the highest increase in the number of voters.

    Based on this report, former IFS officer and Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha president Dr V K Bahuguna had written to the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister before the Chief Election Commissioner, insisting on demanding an inquiry into the matter. Bahuguna said, “This unusual increase in the number of voters has
    threatened the cultural integrity of the state. Uttarakhand’s carrying capacity has already ended many years ago”.

    On the basis of the SDC Foundation’s report, the committee to be formed at the district level to investigate will have four members, including the Deputy District Election Officer. The assembly constituency-level committee will have six members, including the electoral registration officer, and the booth-level
    committee will have five members, including Patwari nominated by the deputy district magistrate. The State Election Commission has asked to complete this investigation and submit the report by February 28, 2023.

    Welcoming the Election Commission’s order to probe the comparative increase, SDC Foundation chairman Anup Nautiyal told The New Indian Express, “The seats where the number of voters have increased the most are all seats in the plains. Among the 70 seats in the state, Dharampur assembly constituency in Dehradun district recorded the highest voter registration. In the last 10 years, the number of voters in this assembly constituency has increased by 72 percent”.

    Apart from Dharampur, Rudrapur, Doiwala, Sahaspur, Kaladhungi, Kashipur, Raipur, Kichha, BHEL Ranipur and Rishikesh have seen the highest increase in the number of voters from 41 per cent to 72 per cent.

    Nautiyal further said, “With such a large number of people coming from outside and settling in Uttarakhand, there is a lot of pressure on the state’s ability to take care of the cities. Most cities in the state are already burdened far beyond their carrying capacity. This is leading to lack of civic amenities and different kinds of urban problems”.

    In the next few months, municipal elections are to be held in eight municipal corporations of the state – Dehradun, Haridwar, Roorkee, Rishikesh, Kotdwar, Haldwani, Kashipur and Rudrapur.

    SDC chairman Nautiyal expressed apprehension, “These eight cities and their districts have recorded the highest increase in the number of voters. It needs to be noted that people are being brought in from outside to strengthen the vote bank. Along with all this, there may be a possibility of doing so in a planned
    manner for social, religious or security reasons as well as political reasons”.

  • Rehabilitation a difficult task for Joshimath administration, even the affected not unanimous

    Express News Service

    DEHRADUN: Rehabilitation of Joshimath City, which was affected due to the land submergence disaster, has become a big challenge for the government. While the government has not yet been able to prepare a paper account of rehabilitation, displacement, and the affected are also not unanimous. While some people are talking about one-time settlement, many people do not want to leave their ancestral homes associated with their old memories.

    According to an official in revenue department, as many as 269 families in the land submergence-hit area have been shifted to relief camps set up at various places. These affected people are also worried about their future.

    Vinita Sundariyal, Rekha Joshi, Ranjana Negi, Anju Khanduri, Sushma Sati, Sarita Sati, Sarita Chamoli, Rekha Namboori, Jyoti Nautiyal and many more say that the government should assess the house, farm and give compensation on the lines of Badrinath so that they can settle their land in lump sum.

    Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana told The New Indian Express on Sunday, quoting the District Disaster Management Authority, “863 buildings in 9 wards of Joshimath Nagar area have been affected. Of these, 181 buildings have been kept in unsafe areas. The district administration has so far temporarily displaced 925 members of 275 families to various safer places due to security reasons”.

    District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana also inspected the land identified in dhaka village for the displacement of disaster-affected people on the spot, he said, “Two meetings have been held with the committee regarding the security, rehabilitation, displacement of Joshimath. The committee has given some suggestions under which paper documents are also being prepared. Along with this, their suggestions are also being taken from the affected public representatives”.

    People living in Joshimath for decades also say, “Displacement of Joshimath affected by landslides is not easy. It is India’s border town bordering China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is also describing border towns, villages as the first village”. Also, the government plans to develop these areas in the tourism sector. In such a situation, displacement elsewhere in Joshimath would mean the destructionof the city, which is not good for strategic and security as well as social infrastructure.

    DEHRADUN: Rehabilitation of Joshimath City, which was affected due to the land submergence disaster, has become a big challenge for the government. While the government has not yet been able to prepare a paper account of rehabilitation, displacement, and the affected are also not unanimous. While some people are talking about one-time settlement, many people do not want to leave their ancestral homes associated with their old memories.

    According to an official in revenue department, as many as 269 families in the land submergence-hit area have been shifted to relief camps set up at various places. These affected people are also worried about their future.

    Vinita Sundariyal, Rekha Joshi, Ranjana Negi, Anju Khanduri, Sushma Sati, Sarita Sati, Sarita Chamoli, Rekha Namboori, Jyoti Nautiyal and many more say that the government should assess the house, farm and give compensation on the lines of Badrinath so that they can settle their land in lump sum.

    Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana told The New Indian Express on Sunday, quoting the District Disaster Management Authority, “863 buildings in 9 wards of Joshimath Nagar area have been affected. Of these, 181 buildings have been kept in unsafe areas. The district administration has so far temporarily displaced 925 members of 275 families to various safer places due to security reasons”.

    District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana also inspected the land identified in dhaka village for the displacement of disaster-affected people on the spot, he said, “Two meetings have been held with the committee regarding the security, rehabilitation, displacement of Joshimath. The committee has given some suggestions under which paper documents are also being prepared. Along with this, their suggestions are also being taken from the affected public representatives”.

    People living in Joshimath for decades also say, “Displacement of Joshimath affected by landslides is not easy. It is India’s border town bordering China. Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself is also describing border towns, villages as the first village”. Also, the government plans to develop these areas in the tourism sector. In such a situation, displacement elsewhere in Joshimath would mean the destruction
    of the city, which is not good for strategic and security as well as social infrastructure.

  • Joshimath sinking: Eight more areas at risk of land subsidence in Uttarakhand

    Express News Service

    JOSHIMATH: With cracks running houses and the city’s infrastructure, the scope for further incidents of land subsidence in Uttarakhand has caused a state of concern among scientists.

    With Joshimath continuing to sink, reports pointing to potential land subsidence in eight more cities across the state have now come to light. At least three cities in Uttarakhand face the prospect of landslides and erosion. Subsidence is also taking place in Mussoorie, Nainital, Bhatwadi of Uttarkashi, Munsiyari, and Purnagiri of Champawat. Meanwhile, Gopeshwar, Karanprayag and Srinagar are also under threat.

    Professor Y P Sundriyal, head of the department of geology at the Central University of Srinagar Garhwal, has warned that large parts of Srinagar are situated on the debris of floods, and unplanned construction here, can prove to be dangerous.

    Speaking to TNIE, Sundriyal said, “The landscaping of Gopeshwar’s land is similar to that of Joshimath as the ground surface here is also completely on landslide material and the hard rock is 100 metres below. In such a situation, whatever heavy structure is being prepared for settlement, it is being done on landslide material. The cracks of Karnaprayag should not be underestimated”.

    Sundariyal added, “The Mandakini Valley had caused terrible devastation in the Kedarnath disaster of 2013, but we did not learn from it. On the contrary, construction in many places is being done on the debris of the disaster, which can be very deadly in the future.”

    Meanwhile, a geophysical and geotechnical survey will be carried out by a team of scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, IIT Roorkee, and the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) Hyderabad in Joshimath.

    The surveys will be key to studying the landslides and will reveal the path of water flow in the region. The study will also reveal the pressure of water underground and highlight the possibilities which could lead to water getting off the ground. 

    The geophysical survey will also reveal the status of silt and clay in the water present under the ground.

    Geologist Dr AK Biyani said,” It has been clear in previous scientific research that Joshimath glacier is situated on the mud. It is clear that the thickness of this mud will be different at different places. If it is moving, then what is its direction of motion? NGRI Hyderabad has expertise in this work.”

    ALSO READ: WEB SCRAWL| The Himalayan loot that triggered the Joshimath disaster

    JOSHIMATH: With cracks running houses and the city’s infrastructure, the scope for further incidents of land subsidence in Uttarakhand has caused a state of concern among scientists.

    With Joshimath continuing to sink, reports pointing to potential land subsidence in eight more cities across the state have now come to light. At least three cities in Uttarakhand face the prospect of landslides and erosion. Subsidence is also taking place in Mussoorie, Nainital, Bhatwadi of Uttarkashi, Munsiyari, and Purnagiri of Champawat. Meanwhile, Gopeshwar, Karanprayag and Srinagar are also under threat.

    Professor Y P Sundriyal, head of the department of geology at the Central University of Srinagar Garhwal, has warned that large parts of Srinagar are situated on the debris of floods, and unplanned construction here, can prove to be dangerous.

    Speaking to TNIE, Sundriyal said, “The landscaping of Gopeshwar’s land is similar to that of Joshimath as the ground surface here is also completely on landslide material and the hard rock is 100 metres below. In such a situation, whatever heavy structure is being prepared for settlement, it is being done on landslide material. The cracks of Karnaprayag should not be underestimated”.

    Sundariyal added, “The Mandakini Valley had caused terrible devastation in the Kedarnath disaster of 2013, but we did not learn from it. On the contrary, construction in many places is being done on the debris of the disaster, which can be very deadly in the future.”

    Meanwhile, a geophysical and geotechnical survey will be carried out by a team of scientists from the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, IIT Roorkee, and the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) Hyderabad in Joshimath.

    The surveys will be key to studying the landslides and will reveal the path of water flow in the region. The study will also reveal the pressure of water underground and highlight the possibilities which could lead to water getting off the ground. 

    The geophysical survey will also reveal the status of silt and clay in the water present under the ground.

    Geologist Dr AK Biyani said,” It has been clear in previous scientific research that Joshimath glacier is situated on the mud. It is clear that the thickness of this mud will be different at different places. If it is moving, then what is its direction of motion? NGRI Hyderabad has expertise in this work.”

    ALSO READ: WEB SCRAWL| The Himalayan loot that triggered the Joshimath disaster

  • Joshimath sinking: Residents to hold protests on R-Day, blame NTPC over disaster

    Express News Service

    JOSHIMATH: Terming the incident a “man-made disaster”, the residents of Uttarakhand’s sinking town of Joshimath blamed the National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd. (NTPC) for the ongoing land subsidence in the region.

    Unhappy with the state government’s decisions, the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS) has demanded the closure of the NTPC’s Tapovan project.

    On the occasion of Republic Day, locals have decided to ‘gherao’ the authorities and lock down the tunnel work, under which ward-wise programs will start from Tuesday.

    Atul Sati, convenor of Sangharsh Samiti, said, “Now that evidence has been received, NTPC is solely responsible for this tragedy and the destruction of Joshimath’s cultural heritage. Therefore, the compensation should also be recovered from NTPC.”

    The committee members also unanimously decided there should be displacement along the lines of Tehri Dam.

    Sangharsh Samiti convener Atul Sati also alleged that since the Joshimath tragedy case has gone out of the hands of the Dhami government, the central government will have to take a consensus and swift action at the earliest.

    The Sangharsh Samiti leaders also expressed anguish over the manner in which relief cheques were being distributed and called the photo-ops “a cruel joke on the disaster victims.” 

    Expressing his anguish to this correspondent, Vivek Panwar, a resident who has been associated with the profession of trekking and skiing for the past 15 years, said, “It is very important for the state government to make arrangements for the residence and employment of Joshimath residents as well as understand their feelings before they are displaced.”

    “You have ruined our business…our Joshimath,” he added.

    ALSO READ | Joshimath: The neglected warning from 46 years ago

    JOSHIMATH: Terming the incident a “man-made disaster”, the residents of Uttarakhand’s sinking town of Joshimath blamed the National Thermal Power Corporation Ltd. (NTPC) for the ongoing land subsidence in the region.

    Unhappy with the state government’s decisions, the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (JBSS) has demanded the closure of the NTPC’s Tapovan project.

    On the occasion of Republic Day, locals have decided to ‘gherao’ the authorities and lock down the tunnel work, under which ward-wise programs will start from Tuesday.

    Atul Sati, convenor of Sangharsh Samiti, said, “Now that evidence has been received, NTPC is solely responsible for this tragedy and the destruction of Joshimath’s cultural heritage. Therefore, the compensation should also be recovered from NTPC.”

    The committee members also unanimously decided there should be displacement along the lines of Tehri Dam.

    Sangharsh Samiti convener Atul Sati also alleged that since the Joshimath tragedy case has gone out of the hands of the Dhami government, the central government will have to take a consensus and swift action at the earliest.

    The Sangharsh Samiti leaders also expressed anguish over the manner in which relief cheques were being distributed and called the photo-ops “a cruel joke on the disaster victims.” 

    Expressing his anguish to this correspondent, Vivek Panwar, a resident who has been associated with the profession of trekking and skiing for the past 15 years, said, “It is very important for the state government to make arrangements for the residence and employment of Joshimath residents as well as understand their feelings before they are displaced.”

    “You have ruined our business…our Joshimath,” he added.

    ALSO READ | Joshimath: The neglected warning from 46 years ago

  • Joshimath: At the behest of state cabinet minister, ISRO removes satellite images and report

    Express News Service

    JOSHIMATH: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has removed the satellite images of the land submergence and the report claiming that Joshimath was submerged within a day, following objections from the state government. Speaking to The New Indian Express, state Cabinet Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, who is camping in Joshimath to monitor and assess the situation, confirmed this after contacting ISRO officials.

    Meanwhile, the Centre has issued strict instructions prohibiting scientists, geologists and other concerned officials from sharing any kind of Joshimath land submergence report with the media.

    In fact, this report of ISRO said that in the last 12 days i.e. from 27 December2022 to 8 January 2023, there was a 5.4 cm landslide in Joshimath. ISRO had also said that in the last seven months, the landslide in Joshimath was 9 cm.

    Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat said, “There was panic among the people of Joshimath city after ISRO pictures related to the submergence of Joshimath went viral and news related to it was broadcast on TV channels, when this happened, they spoke to the ISRO director over phone” “I requested him to either issue an official statement regarding the photographs or remove the photographs from the website if there is nothing like that”, added Minister Dr Dhan Singh.

    WATCH |

    Secretary Disaster Management Dr. Ranjit Kumar Sinha, while giving information about the relief and rescue related works being done to the media on Saturday, said “An amount of Rs 187.50 lakh has been distributed by the state government as advance for displacement per family. It has been proposed by CBRI,Government of India to design and construct pre-fab huts for the affected people on their other protected land”.

    The disaster management team will again visit Joshimath on Sunday, during which Additional Secretary (Disaster), Geologist and Central officials will also be present.

    JOSHIMATH: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has removed the satellite images of the land submergence and the report claiming that Joshimath was submerged within a day, following objections from the state government. Speaking to The New Indian Express, state Cabinet Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, who is camping in Joshimath to monitor and assess the situation, confirmed this after contacting ISRO officials.

    Meanwhile, the Centre has issued strict instructions prohibiting scientists, geologists and other concerned officials from sharing any kind of Joshimath land submergence report with the media.

    In fact, this report of ISRO said that in the last 12 days i.e. from 27 December2022 to 8 January 2023, there was a 5.4 cm landslide in Joshimath. ISRO had also said that in the last seven months, the landslide in Joshimath was 9 cm.

    Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat said, “There was panic among the people of Joshimath city after ISRO pictures related to the submergence of Joshimath went viral and news related to it was broadcast on TV channels, when this happened, they spoke to the ISRO director over phone” “I requested him to either issue an official statement regarding the photographs or remove the photographs from the website if there is nothing like that”, added Minister Dr Dhan Singh.

    WATCH |

    Secretary Disaster Management Dr. Ranjit Kumar Sinha, while giving information about the relief and rescue related works being done to the media on Saturday, said “An amount of Rs 187.50 lakh has been distributed by the state government as advance for displacement per family. It has been proposed by CBRI,
    Government of India to design and construct pre-fab huts for the affected people on their other protected land”.

    The disaster management team will again visit Joshimath on Sunday, during which Additional Secretary (Disaster), Geologist and Central officials will also be present.

  • Amid relief, rehabilitation and demolition, Joshimath youths start protest with ‘NTPC go back’ posters

    Express News Service

    JOSHIMATH: The resentment of Joshimath residents is now visible through posters on the streets. Youths from various organisations put up posters of ‘NTPC Go Back’ at several shops and buildings in the city on Friday, posters of ‘NTPC Go Back’ as a mark of protest. Locals have directly alleged that the situation hasworsened due to these projects.

    On the other hand, the process of demolishing two hotels Malari Inn and Mount View continued on the orders of the administration.

    According to the daily report released by the District Disaster Management Authority Chamoli regarding land submergence in the Joshimath area, 760 buildings in 9 wards of the Joshimath Nagar area have been affected. Out of which 147 buildings have been kept in unsafe zones. The district administration has so fartemporarily displaced 657 people belonging to 185 families at various places due to security reasons

    ALSO READ | Joshimath Sinking: NTPC says tunnel one km away from town, 1.1 km below ground

    District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana has issued an order to vacate most of the areas falling under ward number 1, 4, 5 and 7 under the city area using Sections 33 and 34 of the Disaster Management Act.

    Anshuman Singh Bisht, 21, associated with adventure tourism, said, “The main reason for the land submergence in Joshimath is the Tapovan Vishnugarh hydropower project of the National Thermal Power Corporation and it is a very serious reminder that people are messing with the environment to such an extent that is irreversible”.

    Highlighting the situation arising out of digging tunnels for hydropower projects, Joshimath Vyapar Mandal General Secretary Jaiprakash Bhatt said, “The reason for all these situations is the excavation work being carried out in the foundation of Joshimath for Helang Marwari bypass”.

    ALSO READ | Satellite images show Joshimath sank by 5.4 cm in 12 days; ISRO warns entire town may sink

    The district administration has identified 615 rooms of 83 buildings as temporary relief camps for habitable accommodation in the Joshimath city area, in which 2190 people can be accommodated.  As many as 491 rooms of 20 buildings in Pipalkoti outside the Joshimath municipal area have been selected as temporary relief camps, which can accommodate a total of 2205 people.

    JOSHIMATH: The resentment of Joshimath residents is now visible through posters on the streets. Youths from various organisations put up posters of ‘NTPC Go Back’ at several shops and buildings in the city on Friday, posters of ‘NTPC Go Back’ as a mark of protest. Locals have directly alleged that the situation has
    worsened due to these projects.

    On the other hand, the process of demolishing two hotels Malari Inn and Mount View continued on the orders of the administration.

    According to the daily report released by the District Disaster Management Authority Chamoli regarding land submergence in the Joshimath area, 760 buildings in 9 wards of the Joshimath Nagar area have been affected. Out of which 147 buildings have been kept in unsafe zones. The district administration has so far
    temporarily displaced 657 people belonging to 185 families at various places due to security reasons

    ALSO READ | Joshimath Sinking: NTPC says tunnel one km away from town, 1.1 km below ground

    District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana has issued an order to vacate most of the areas falling under ward number 1, 4, 5 and 7 under the city area using Sections 33 and 34 of the Disaster Management Act.

    Anshuman Singh Bisht, 21, associated with adventure tourism, said, “The main reason for the land submergence in Joshimath is the Tapovan Vishnugarh hydropower project of the National Thermal Power Corporation and it is a very serious reminder that people are messing with the environment to such an extent that is irreversible”.

    Highlighting the situation arising out of digging tunnels for hydropower projects, Joshimath Vyapar Mandal General Secretary Jaiprakash Bhatt said, “The reason for all these situations is the excavation work being carried out in the foundation of Joshimath for Helang Marwari bypass”.

    ALSO READ | Satellite images show Joshimath sank by 5.4 cm in 12 days; ISRO warns entire town may sink

    The district administration has identified 615 rooms of 83 buildings as temporary relief camps for habitable accommodation in the Joshimath city area, in which 2190 people can be accommodated.  As many as 491 rooms of 20 buildings in Pipalkoti outside the Joshimath municipal area have been selected as temporary relief camps, which can accommodate a total of 2205 people.

  • Satellite images show Joshimath sank by 5.4 cm in 12 days; ISRO warns entire town may sink

    By Online Desk

    JOSHIMATH: Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town sank by 5.4 cm in just 12 days between December 27, 2022, and January 8, 2023, triggered by a possible subsidence event on January 2, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) satellite-based report. This is a case of rapid subsistence, it said adding that the area of the subsidence too has increased. However, it is confined to the central part of Joshimath town.

    ISRO’s preliminary report released Thursday shows that the entire town may sink.

    Joshimath is the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and the international skiing destination Auli.

    Meanwhile, slow land subsidence up to 9 cm was recorded in Joshimath town over a period of seven months, between April and November 2022.

    The Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre has released satellite images of areas that are sinking. The pictures are taken from the Cartosat-2S satellite.

    WEB SCRAWL | How green was my valley: The Himalayan loot that triggered the Joshimath disaster

    In the images, the entire town, including the Army’s helipad and the Narasimha temple, has been marked as a sensitive zone. 

    Due to a landslide-related creep, cracks have appeared in around 700 houses in the town. Roads along with the hotels and hospitals present there have developed cracks, said NRSC.

    A subsidence zone resembling a generic landslide shape was identified (tapered top and fanning out at base), ISRO said in its report. The ‘Crown’ of the subsidence is located near Joshimath-Auli road at a height of 2,180 metres, it said. 

    The satellite images show that the Joshimath-Auli road is also going to collapse.

    Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is holding an emergency meeting Friday to discuss several important issues, including compensation, in view of the land subsidence crisis in Joshimath.

    Ministers, and top officials including Chief Secretary Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were present in the meeting, which began at 12 noon in the Secretariat here.

    OPINION | Joshimath disaster a result of deliberate negligence

    Dhami had emphasised that surveys of other areas should also be conducted in the state by a committee of experts. The committee would survey the villages and towns located in the hilly areas to ascertain whether the area has more buildings and people than capacity.

    A total of 169 families consisting of 589 members have so far been shifted to relief centres. There are 835 rooms serving as relief centres in Joshimath and Pipalkoti which can together accommodate 3,630 people.

    An interim assistance of Rs 1.5 lakh has been paid so far to 42 affected families. CM Dhami on Thursday had said a committee would decide the market rate for compensation to be paid to the families affected in Joshimath by keeping in mind the interests of stakeholders.

    (With inputs from PTI, ANI, IANS)

    JOSHIMATH: Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town sank by 5.4 cm in just 12 days between December 27, 2022, and January 8, 2023, triggered by a possible subsidence event on January 2, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) satellite-based report. This is a case of rapid subsistence, it said adding that the area of the subsidence too has increased. However, it is confined to the central part of Joshimath town.

    ISRO’s preliminary report released Thursday shows that the entire town may sink.

    Joshimath is the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and the international skiing destination Auli.

    Meanwhile, slow land subsidence up to 9 cm was recorded in Joshimath town over a period of seven months, between April and November 2022.

    The Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre has released satellite images of areas that are sinking. The pictures are taken from the Cartosat-2S satellite.

    WEB SCRAWL | How green was my valley: The Himalayan loot that triggered the Joshimath disaster

    In the images, the entire town, including the Army’s helipad and the Narasimha temple, has been marked as a sensitive zone. 

    Due to a landslide-related creep, cracks have appeared in around 700 houses in the town. Roads along with the hotels and hospitals present there have developed cracks, said NRSC.

    A subsidence zone resembling a generic landslide shape was identified (tapered top and fanning out at base), ISRO said in its report. The ‘Crown’ of the subsidence is located near Joshimath-Auli road at a height of 2,180 metres, it said. 

    The satellite images show that the Joshimath-Auli road is also going to collapse.

    Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is holding an emergency meeting Friday to discuss several important issues, including compensation, in view of the land subsidence crisis in Joshimath.

    Ministers, and top officials including Chief Secretary Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu were present in the meeting, which began at 12 noon in the Secretariat here.

    OPINION | Joshimath disaster a result of deliberate negligence

    Dhami had emphasised that surveys of other areas should also be conducted in the state by a committee of experts. The committee would survey the villages and towns located in the hilly areas to ascertain whether the area has more buildings and people than capacity.

    A total of 169 families consisting of 589 members have so far been shifted to relief centres. There are 835 rooms serving as relief centres in Joshimath and Pipalkoti which can together accommodate 3,630 people.

    An interim assistance of Rs 1.5 lakh has been paid so far to 42 affected families. CM Dhami on Thursday had said a committee would decide the market rate for compensation to be paid to the families affected in Joshimath by keeping in mind the interests of stakeholders.

    (With inputs from PTI, ANI, IANS)

  • Joshimath sinking: Disaster resilient model town proposed for displaced residents

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) has proposed to develop a disaster-resilient model town to rehabilitate people displaced from the sinking Uttarakhand town of Joshimath.

    The Roorkee-based institute of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has also suggested a three-pronged action plan for Joshimath that envisages the demolition of tilted buildings, safety assessment of existing 4,000 buildings and providing intermediate shelters to the displaced people, CBRI Director R Pradeep Kumar said.

    Kumar, along with senior CBRI scientists D P Kanoongo and Ajay Chourasia, visited Joshimath on Monday to assess the situation in the town nestled in Himalayan mountain ranges in the Kumaon region and deliberated the matter with officials from the National Disaster Management Authority and the Uttarakhand government.

    “It is proposed to develop a disaster resilient model town, using cost-effective building technology i.e. confined masonry, along with urban planning on a safe identified site,” he said.

    Kumar said the CBRI shall provide habitat planning, design, and construction advice, based on the inputs from the Uttarakhand government regarding the number of houses and topography survey at a selected safe identified site.

    ALSO READ | Joshimath: The neglected warning from 46 years ago

    “The advantages of the technology are – it makes use of locally available construction materials, skills, compatible to local conditions, disaster resilient and affordable,” he said.

    The CBRI will commence a detailed study for safety assessment of 4,000 buildings from Thursday to have a deeper understanding of the buildings’ configuration, construction practice, building typology, condition, distress assessment, if any, and monitoring of cracks, he said.

    “The field observation shall lead to possible causes for structural damage and comparison with the baseline data, and to decide further strategies for its usage,” Kumar said.

    Crack meters shall be installed at different locations to monitor the cracks in identified houses, he said, adding that based on the progressive crack width measurements, the building vulnerability shall be classified into various classes.

    The vulnerability of houses in different categories are, “highly vulnerable, moderately vulnerable, slightly vulnerable, safe, collapsed/to be demolished,” he said.

    The activity is likely to be completed within one week, he added.

    Kumar said lightweight steel portal frame structures with vertical sides shall be deployed at safe locations to provide intermediate shelters to the rehabilitated people of Joshimath.

    ALSO READ | How green was my valley: The Himalayan loot that triggered the Joshimath disaster

    NEW DELHI: The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) has proposed to develop a disaster-resilient model town to rehabilitate people displaced from the sinking Uttarakhand town of Joshimath.

    The Roorkee-based institute of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has also suggested a three-pronged action plan for Joshimath that envisages the demolition of tilted buildings, safety assessment of existing 4,000 buildings and providing intermediate shelters to the displaced people, CBRI Director R Pradeep Kumar said.

    Kumar, along with senior CBRI scientists D P Kanoongo and Ajay Chourasia, visited Joshimath on Monday to assess the situation in the town nestled in Himalayan mountain ranges in the Kumaon region and deliberated the matter with officials from the National Disaster Management Authority and the Uttarakhand government.

    “It is proposed to develop a disaster resilient model town, using cost-effective building technology i.e. confined masonry, along with urban planning on a safe identified site,” he said.

    Kumar said the CBRI shall provide habitat planning, design, and construction advice, based on the inputs from the Uttarakhand government regarding the number of houses and topography survey at a selected safe identified site.

    ALSO READ | Joshimath: The neglected warning from 46 years ago

    “The advantages of the technology are – it makes use of locally available construction materials, skills, compatible to local conditions, disaster resilient and affordable,” he said.

    The CBRI will commence a detailed study for safety assessment of 4,000 buildings from Thursday to have a deeper understanding of the buildings’ configuration, construction practice, building typology, condition, distress assessment, if any, and monitoring of cracks, he said.

    “The field observation shall lead to possible causes for structural damage and comparison with the baseline data, and to decide further strategies for its usage,” Kumar said.

    Crack meters shall be installed at different locations to monitor the cracks in identified houses, he said, adding that based on the progressive crack width measurements, the building vulnerability shall be classified into various classes.

    The vulnerability of houses in different categories are, “highly vulnerable, moderately vulnerable, slightly vulnerable, safe, collapsed/to be demolished,” he said.

    The activity is likely to be completed within one week, he added.

    Kumar said lightweight steel portal frame structures with vertical sides shall be deployed at safe locations to provide intermediate shelters to the rehabilitated people of Joshimath.

    ALSO READ | How green was my valley: The Himalayan loot that triggered the Joshimath disaster

  • Joshimath sinking: Clamour grows amid renewed efforts to persuade locals to allow demolition

    By PTI

    JOSHIMATH: Renewed efforts were made by the administration on Wednesday to persuade hoteliers and locals refusing to allow the demolition of two precariously standing hotels in subsidence-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand.

    A fresh round of talks was held between Secretary to the Chief Minister, Meenakshi Sundaram and the protesters who have been demanding compensation on the lines of Badrinath before the demolition exercise is undertaken.

    Hotels ‘Malari Inn’ and ‘Mount View’ are leaning towards each other dangerously, posing a threat to the human settlements around the structures. The Uttarakhand government had directed the razing of unstable structures on Monday, starting with these two buildings.

    Talking to reporters, the senior official clarified that only two hotels in Joshimath have to be dismantled and not the houses demarcated as unfit for living.

    “I want to clarify one thing. Only two hotels are to be dismantled. Demolition, though being used widely, is not the precise word in this context. Houses in the danger zone are not going to be demolished. The red cross marks put on them is only to have them vacated,” Sundaram, who is also the nodal officer for the land subsidence-hit town, said.

    He, however, did not give a definite timeline on the beginning of the demolition exercise but said his interaction with the protesting locals was positive and the matter will be resolved soon.

    ALSO READ | Fury of locals block demolition of damaged buildings

    The chief secretary also announced that Rs 1.5 lakh is being given as interim assistance to the affected families. Out of this amount, Rs 50,000 is being provided in advance for house shifting and Rs 1 lakh for disaster relief which will be adjusted later, he said. Those who want to shift to rented accommodation will be given Rs 4,000 per month for six months, he said.

    Earlier, Sundaram held a meeting with the stakeholders and the locals and assured them that adequate compensation according to market rates will be given.

    “The market rate will be decided after taking suggestions of the stakeholders in the public interest. The interests of the local people will be taken care of,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Joshimath: The neglected warning from 46 years ago

    Meanwhile, the clamour for compensation grew as agitated locals continued to sit on dharnas and refused to allow the authorities to go ahead with the demolition.

    “We want compensation on the lines of Badrinath. But the secretary to the chief minister said it was not possible. He said compensation as per market rate could be given. But when we asked what would be the market rate, he said he did not know,” Thakur Singh Rana, the owner of Malari Inn, told reporters before resuming his dharna.

    Adding to the woes of residents, weather in Joshimath turned bad. It is cloudy and drizzling in the town and people are afraid rainwater may further contribute to land subsidence in the area.

    A total of 131 families have so far been shifted to temporary relief centres in Joshimath and the number of damaged houses in the town has risen to 723.

    ALSO READ | How green was my valley: The Himalayan loot that triggered the Joshimath disaster

    JOSHIMATH: Renewed efforts were made by the administration on Wednesday to persuade hoteliers and locals refusing to allow the demolition of two precariously standing hotels in subsidence-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand.

    A fresh round of talks was held between Secretary to the Chief Minister, Meenakshi Sundaram and the protesters who have been demanding compensation on the lines of Badrinath before the demolition exercise is undertaken.

    Hotels ‘Malari Inn’ and ‘Mount View’ are leaning towards each other dangerously, posing a threat to the human settlements around the structures. The Uttarakhand government had directed the razing of unstable structures on Monday, starting with these two buildings.

    Talking to reporters, the senior official clarified that only two hotels in Joshimath have to be dismantled and not the houses demarcated as unfit for living.

    “I want to clarify one thing. Only two hotels are to be dismantled. Demolition, though being used widely, is not the precise word in this context. Houses in the danger zone are not going to be demolished. The red cross marks put on them is only to have them vacated,” Sundaram, who is also the nodal officer for the land subsidence-hit town, said.

    He, however, did not give a definite timeline on the beginning of the demolition exercise but said his interaction with the protesting locals was positive and the matter will be resolved soon.

    ALSO READ | Fury of locals block demolition of damaged buildings

    The chief secretary also announced that Rs 1.5 lakh is being given as interim assistance to the affected families. Out of this amount, Rs 50,000 is being provided in advance for house shifting and Rs 1 lakh for disaster relief which will be adjusted later, he said. Those who want to shift to rented accommodation will be given Rs 4,000 per month for six months, he said.

    Earlier, Sundaram held a meeting with the stakeholders and the locals and assured them that adequate compensation according to market rates will be given.

    “The market rate will be decided after taking suggestions of the stakeholders in the public interest. The interests of the local people will be taken care of,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Joshimath: The neglected warning from 46 years ago

    Meanwhile, the clamour for compensation grew as agitated locals continued to sit on dharnas and refused to allow the authorities to go ahead with the demolition.

    “We want compensation on the lines of Badrinath. But the secretary to the chief minister said it was not possible. He said compensation as per market rate could be given. But when we asked what would be the market rate, he said he did not know,” Thakur Singh Rana, the owner of Malari Inn, told reporters before resuming his dharna.

    Adding to the woes of residents, weather in Joshimath turned bad. It is cloudy and drizzling in the town and people are afraid rainwater may further contribute to land subsidence in the area.

    A total of 131 families have so far been shifted to temporary relief centres in Joshimath and the number of damaged houses in the town has risen to 723.

    ALSO READ | How green was my valley: The Himalayan loot that triggered the Joshimath disaster

  • Detailed zonation study of Joshimath dangers was sent to govt in 2001: Environmentalist

    'One study after another would not help until the governments begin to act on what they were recommended', Chandi Prasad Bhatt, whose request led NRSA to do zonation mapping, said.