Residents of Uttarakhand’s Joshimath await permanent rehabilitation amid future uncertainties
Joshimath residents face ongoing uncertainty as they wait for permanent rehabilitation, with no clear solution in sight. The indecisiveness of the state government has left the community in a state of worry, unsure of what the future holds
After a month of battling natural disaster caused by land subsidence amid winter hardships the residents of the Himalayan town of Joshimath in Uttarakhand are still struggling to get back to their normal lives.
Bharti Devi, a Joshimath resident in her 70s has been living in a temporary relief camp for over a month since her home was damaged due to land subsidence. She spends her days between her abandoned home and the sub-divisional office, hoping for positive news on permanent rehabilitation. Devi was among the first families affected by the situation.
"The land beneath our home began to sink on January 2 and our house became uninhabitable the very next day. All this happened suddenly," Devi told PTI.
"We and nearly half a dozen neighbouring families picked up whatever we could from our homes and took refuge in a nearby school which was closed at that time. But now it has been opened and we have been ousted from there as well," she added.
Residents of Joshimath are facing an uncertain future as they continue to deal with the aftermath of the severe land subsidence that hit the city over a month ago. The situation has forced many residents who were temporarily housed in a primary school to move to an abandoned army barracks.
However, with the arrival of Char Dham pilgrims in April and May, the residents are worried that they may lose even this shelter. The lack of a permanent rehabilitation solution has left the residents in a state of uncertainty and fear.
Shivlal and his wife Vishweshwari Devi have been forced to leave their home due to the land subsidence. They now spend their nights in an army barracks and spend their days looking after their cattle near their damaged home.
"How can we be secure if our cows are not? We don't just need a home for ourselves but also a shelter for our cattle," said Vishweshwari. The disaster has not only ruined their home, but also impacted their means of livelihood, cattle rearing and farming, as their fields have developed cracks and are sliding towards the river Alaknanda.
Vishweshwari expressed her despair, "Can anything be sown into (the cracked fields)?" The disaster has also affected Shivlal's mental health, as he used to be a cheerful person before the disaster.
Total 26 families have been kept in the Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya building. "What will happen to us nobody knows nor is anyone telling us. The Mahavidyalaya is also opening in the next few days. Students will return from vacation and we will have to leave this place too," Deveshwari Devi said to PTI.
Rajni Devi and her family were forced to leave their home in Joshimath after it was declared unsafe due to land subsidence. They now stay with Rajni's mother in Ganeshpur and visit their home every day, unsure of its future. "Our house has not fallen yet, but the cracks in the fields below have widened. Whether it will continue to stand will be known only after the monsoon," says Rajni.
Her son, a BTech in mechanical engineering, believes the situation could have been prevented if new constructions in Joshimath were not allowed considering its weak foundations. "Just like the relief camps in schools were removed after they reopened, so would the makeshift shelters in hotels when there is a rush of pilgrims," says Rajni.
However, the biggest concern for the affected families is the indecisiveness on the part of the state government in providing a concrete rehabilitation or resettlement plan. "How long will this shelter hopping go on?" asks Rajni.
The District Magistrate of Joshimath, Himanshu Khurana, has proposed three solutions to a state-level committee for the permanent resettlement of Joshimath residents. However, the plan can only be put into action once the state cabinet gives its approval and the impacted residents agree with the chosen option.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Business NewsNewsIndiaResidents of Uttarakhand’s Joshimath await permanent rehabilitation amid future uncertainties
First Published:5 Feb 2023, 06:07 PM IST
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