Declare Joshimath crisis a national disaster: Plea in SC

New Delhi: A seer has moved the Supreme Court seeking that the Joshimath crisis, where cracks have appeared in hundreds of houses, be declared as a national disaster.

Contending that the incident has occurred due to large-scale industrialisation , the filed by Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati sought immediate financial assistance and compensation to the people of Uttarakhand.

The plea has also sought direction to the National Disaster Management Authority to actively support the residents of Joshimath in this challenging time.

“No development is needed at the cost of human life and their ecosystem and if anything such is happening it is the duty of the State and Union government to stop the same immediately at war level,” the plea said.

Joshimath, the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence, Joshimath is sinking gradually with huge cracks developing in houses, roads and fields there. Many houses have suffered subsidence, locals said.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered immediate evacuation of 600 families living in houses at risk.