Joshimath authorities begin razing hotels in danger zone

Authorities in Joshimath decided on Friday to simultaneously demolish two adjacent hotels that have been dangerously leaning against each other due to land subsidence that has wrecked havoc in the town.

Authorities in Joshimath decided on Friday to simultaneously demolish two adjacent hotels that have been dangerously leaning against each other due to land subsidence that has wrecked havoc in the town.

Malari Inn Hotel being dismantled by SDRF personnel due to the continuous land subsidence, in Joshimath on Friday. (ANI)

The administration had begun the process of razing Hotel Malari Inn on Thursday but later decided to bring down both structures over fears that if one building is demolished, the other would topple over.

On Friday, the authorities began the demolition around 7.30am, officials said. In the presence of the National Disaster Relief Force and the State Disaster Relief Force and with ambulances on standby, government teams began dismantling the top of both buildings, removing the non-structural elements, including windows and furniture.

Central Building Research Institute chief scientist Dr D P Kanungo said: “The two hotels will be demolished mechanically at the same time. It was decided after the preparation of the standard operation procedure following a meeting with the district administration on Thursday to ensure the safe demolition. Since the two hotels have leaned against each other and the damages continue to increase with each passing day, it would be unsafe to adopt the strategy of demolishing one at a time. The process will take a week.”

In the first week of January, Joshimath, a town of 20,000 people, was a flurry of activity as several structures in its steep bylanes started showing signs of land subsidence.

On the night between January 2 and 3, families in the town felt the hill rumble, and tremors that felt like an earthquake. The next morning, they found that their home, too, had developed cracks. Two days later, several homes in the Singh Dhar ward – the worst affected – were declared unsafe by the Chamoli district administration and several families were forced to move to relief camps.

Many local residents continued to protest against the government.

In Chamoli, the district administration issued notices to eight families in Karanprayag, asking them to vacate houses as they have been declared unsafe due to the fresh cracks that appeared after an increase in land subsidence.

Surendra Deb, Karanprayag nayab tehsildar, said: ”We have served notices to eight families to vacate the houses that have become unsafe to live in and have shifted the affected families to a shelter home run by the municipal board.”

But the residents demanded a comprehensive rehabilitation plan and compensation similar to what was given to the families in Joshimath. “Some residents have locked their house and moved elsewhere, refusing to vacate till they do not get adequate compensation or are rehabilitated elsewhere,” said Pankaj Dimri, an affected resident.