Demolitions begin in India’s ‘sinking’ Joshimath, hundreds moved
Al JazeeraAuthorities will demolish several buildings in the Himalayan town after evacuating families as hundreds of houses develop cracks. Indian media reports said the demolition drive in Uttarakhand state’s Joshimath began on Tuesday, with authorities dividing the town of 25,000 residents into “danger”, “buffer” and “completely safe” zones. “Basic facilities in the relief camps arranged for the affected people in Joshimath are being constantly inspected by the administration and all possible help is being extended to the affected people,” said Himanshu Khurana, the district magistrate of Chamoli where the town is located. Authorities start demolition process of two hotels in #Joshimath pic.twitter.com/K2HYamzkRq — TOI Cities January 10, 2023 Experts and residents have long warned that large-scale construction work in and around Joshimath, including for power projects built by companies like the state-run National Thermal Power Corporation, could lead to land subsidence. “There is no way the project is behind the subsistence,” said a government official, adding that NTPC suspended tunnelling work in the area more than two years ago after a boring machine got stuck.