Joshimath land sinking fear: Construction activities banned as protests by locals continue

Amid protests by a group of residents in Joshimath, the Chamoli administration on January 5 put a ban on all construction activities in and around the "sinking" town even as nearly 50 families staying in houses at risk have been evacuated so far.

The town observed a bandh to protest against administrative indifference to the plight of residents and the "NTPC projects which have led to its gradual sinking".

People descended on the streets shouting slogans against an "idle administration" and staged a chakka jam while the business establishments remained closed, Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti convenor Atul Sati said.

Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Abhishek Tripathi came to persuade the agitators staging a dharna but he was told that it will continue until decisive action is taken on their demands.

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The demands include immediate rehabilitation of residents, stopping construction of an NTPC tunnel and a bypass road between Helang and Marwadi for Badrinath and fixing responsibility of this disaster on the NTPC's Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project, he said.

The district administration subsequently put a ban on the construction of Helang bypass by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), work of the Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel project and other construction work undertaken by the municipality with immediate effect till further orders. The NTPC and the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) have also been asked to build 2,000 pre-fabricated houses each in advance for the affected families. The district administration is taking all steps to ensure the safety of affected people.