Land is slipping in Joshimath and cracks have appeared in more than 600 houses so far
By-Naresh
This should be a matter of great concern for the country and the state. So far cracks have appeared in more than 600 houses in the area. The state and central government are holding a high level meeting on this subject. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the area to take stock of the situation. Landslides are not a new thing in the Himalayan region. The most interesting thing is that all this has not happened suddenly. There can be many reasons behind this.
Development or destruction, what is happening in Joshimath?
People believe that mining in the name of development on the mountains is the main reason for this. Man is rapidly exploiting the natural wealth in the name of development. The truth is also that in order to live life, man has accepted development as a yardstick. When the people of Joshimath are leaving their homes and migrating, then all of a sudden everyone has woken up. The question is do we need to tamper with the hilly areas in the name of development? Now we say that we have to work on a war footing to save the Himalayan region.
plans need to be considered
By removing the earlier plans, now new plans will need to be considered. Another big truth is that if we had been alert 47 years ago, this situation would not have come. In the year 1976, a committee of experts constituted under the chairmanship of the then Garhwal Divisional Commissioner Mahesh Chandra Mishra warned about such dangers in Joshimath.
During this, suggestions were made to make concrete arrangements for drainage of water in this city situated in the landslide area and to take effective steps to prevent land erosion from Alaknanda river. However, the administration gradually ignored it. Today, after so many years, the situation has reached from bad to worse. Whom to hold responsible for this?
Exploiting the priceless wealth of the Himalayas in the name of development!
We call Uttarakhand Dev Bhoomi and Joshimath has been a religious center for devotees, sadhus, tourists. The city of Joshimath, situated at an altitude of about 3050 meters above sea level, has religious importance. This is the winter seat of Badrinath, one of the Chardhams of the country. Not only this, it is also considered an important stop for the army and paramilitary forces. Now call it man’s negligence or the government’s apathetic attitude, Joshimath area like heaven is fast sinking today and because of which people’s life has become hell.
Was the Mishra report ignored?
From the 1976 Mishra Commission report to the 2006 Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology report, predictions were made about Joshimath. There was a warning against doing any kind of construction and other activities. By doing this this area can become unsafe. Still, in the blind race for development, people’s lives are being played with. Blasting is being done for the tunnel in this seismic V zone.
Roads and other infrastructure are being proposed. Ignoring the report, dams were built here. The result of this is that Joshimath is standing on the verge of being destroyed today. God forbid this happens, but the truth of the Mishra report cannot be denied.
Who will be responsible for the devastation in the Himalayan region?
We will say it ironically that where in the past a project was made on a war footing for the development of the Himalayas, at the same time work will have to be done on a war footing to save this area. If we have to save Joshimath, then the institutions and officials involved in the development works in the Himalayan region will have to change their plans. Otherwise, we will have nothing left to do except wringing hands and leveling allegations against each other.
Now the question is whether all development schemes in the hilly areas of Uttarakhand should be stopped. For this, taking the investigation work forward and reaching the right conclusion is the demand of today’s time. Anyway, India cannot tolerate the Himalayan devastation. Taking lessons from Joshimath, the state governments should also become alert about other hilly areas. The problem cannot be solved by focusing only on Joshimath.
Himalayas have to be understood
The country needs to rethink about the entire Himalayan region. Military needs are paramount here, there is a need to pay attention to other subjects including security and stability for the local people. This is not the job of the government alone. State may set norms. The risks arising in the Himalayan region can be reduced by changing our behaviour.
Development and luxury have drowned the local people and biodiversity. The development of the country cannot be measured only by the big buildings and gleaming roads. If the country and people have to be safe, then we have to save nature, understand the Himalayas.
https://english.n27news.in/2023/01/land-is-slipping-in-joshimath-and-cracks-have-appeared-in-more-than-600-houses-so-far/https://english.n27news.in /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Untitled-design-6-1-1024x576.pnghttps://english.n27news.in /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Untitled-design-6-1-150x150.pngNationalJoshimath,Land is slipping in Joshimath and cracks have appeared in more than 600 houses so farBy-Naresh This should be a matter of great concern for the country and the state. So far cracks have appeared in more than 600 houses in the area. The state and central government are holding a high level meeting on this subject. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the...N27 NewsN27 Adminenglish@n27news.inEditorN27 News
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