ABOUT THREE HUNDRED HOUSES DEVELOPED CRACKS IN JOSHIMATH NAGAR, GARHWAL LIKELY TO COLLAPSE ! LIVES IN ACUTE DANGER !

The lives of the residents of almost all the wards of Joshimath are in acute danger as majority of the houses including commercial buildings like hotels and offices – private and government have developed several deep and long cracks vertically as well as horizontally, including walls becoming hollow from inside after the cement coming down in slabs. The residents are living in extreme unpredictable danger not knowing when the cemented ceiling will come down on the family members, while in sleep.

During this acute winter season and complete non cooperation of the government despite the repeated pleas of the sufferers and the authorities fully aware of the majority of houses and other buildings developing huge cracks – no fruitful action to compensate them financially, shifting them to safer places and providing alternative shelters etc have been done.

The suffering population of Joshimath, Chamoli district have finally tightened their belts to hold a massive protest demonstration against the authorities and the state government compelling them to come to their rescue with all adequate alternatives – including executing complete survey of the houses developing cracks and their alternative safeguards.

The protest demonstration has been planned for 24 th December.

The leader of these sufferers for the last several years Atul Sati has posted several videos in social media showing the severe cracks developed in houses of various wards of Joshimath with worried families in distress n tears not knowing where to go and what to do – leaving behind their homes and valuables in tears.

According to comrade Atul Sati majority of the houses have been developing cracks after massive landslides in Joshimath for the last four months with three hundred houses likely to demolish having developed huge cracks and lives of hundreds in acute danger.

The landslides and lands caving in have increased speedily in various wards of Joshimath Nagar viz Swee, Sunil Ward, Manohar Bagh, Kamadh, Sinhdwar, Gandhi Nagar and Ravigram.

In view of extremely shivering cold the lives of the residents are in extreme danger especially when their houses have developed several cracks widening day by day as the authorities concerned are mere spectators.

It’s not that this problem is something new but after the NTPC power project and huge tunnels being dug in this area there have been increasing incidents of massive landslides with Joshimath and it’s populace suffering the most.

The concerned citizens of Joshimath have been demanding time and again for a high level environmental and geological survey of Joshimath including the analytical study of the impact of the hydropower projects on the people, their lives and environment of the area.

According to comrade Atul Sati the government should immediately form a high level committee for the in depth survey of Joshimath, the houses, various private n government buildings, possible danger to lives and a concrete way out to get rid of these severe problems. There should be a permanent solution to their grievances with a fool proof settlement demanded Atul Sati.

ACOORDING TO ATUL SATI THE BIGGEST ROPEWAY TROLLEY WHICH GOES FROM JOSHIMATH TO AULI HAS ALSO COME UNDER EXCESSIVE DANGER AS BELOW .

This trolley ( ropeway) is 4.2 kilometre long and is the longest Rajjumarg ( ropeway) in India. The 14 kilometre long ropeway from Joshimath to AULI Marg is covered in 22 minutes. This, ropeway is credited for being the pride of not only Joshimath but the country. In view of the increasing landslides the caving in of the land has reached till the base of the ropeway. The high altitude towers founded below are made of strong Iron. Since the last 30 to 32 years its strength has been tremendous.

But if the land below will cave in what would these string pillars do. The first tower of the ropeway is just in front if my house writes Sati. We watch the tourists waving towards us while travelling on this magnificent trolley.

The land adjacent to my house has developed cracks. The house of my neighbours have been vacated due to huge cracks. These cracks are reaching my house vertically. There have been cracks appearing in the agricultural fields in front of my house. The houses near the tower if ropeway have developed cracks.

The land owned by us under the tower has developed several cracks. These cracks are deep and long and are reaching towards the hospital, the dental section of Army hospital. The cracks if become wide would have tremendous negative impact on the tower of the ropeway.

The rest of the towers’ land is, also shifting ( caving in) developing cracks. These warning signals are not to make anyone panicky but to exercise precautions in advance write Sati. He is the local resident of Joshimath and one of the awakened citizen of the area. He appeals to the people of Joshimath and government agencies to become alert and set right the situation at the earliest before it is too late appealing the locals to participate in the mobilisation n protest rally of 24 th December. Meanwhile, while expressing his s serious concern over building of huge Dams in Uttarakhand a state considered to be a highly seismic zone having experienced several ecological disasters in the past including destructive tectonic upheavals n over flooding of rivers etc claiming several lives and colossal loss to properties and state’s economy already in doldrums a social activist Devendra Rawat wrote : Hydroelectric dam in numbers, all weather road and now Rishikesh – Karnprayag rail project are the main causes that made these new born hills geologically danger and instable. On pretext of development, in recent years which largely begins with construction of Tehri Dam have damaged these hills fragile by nature, put thousands of local folks lives in danger apart compelling many to migrate to other places leaving their hundreds of year old ancestral villages.