On Wednesday, Dhami visited the homes that developed cracks more recently and spent the night in the sinking town.

Pushkar Singh Dhami visited a sinking Joshimath on Wednesday and announced relief measures

By India Today Web Desk: As cracks continue to widen in the “unsafe” structures in the ‘sinking’ town of Joshimath, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the subsidence-hit town on Wednesday and announced interim relief for the affected. Dhami visited the homes that developed cracks more recently and spent the night in the sinking town.

He clarified that only two hotels were going to be mechanically demolished and not the houses marked as unsafe.

Protests by the locals demanding compensation on the lines of Badrinath stalled the demolition of unsafe structures. “We stand with the people of Joshimath. The prime minister is personally monitoring the situation. I have his full support. Their (affected people) interest will be taken care of,” Dhami said.

Also Read | How heavy, unplanned construction and complex geology is sinking Joshimath | Deep Dive

FINANCIAL AID

Compensation will be paid out to families in line with the market rate, which will be ascertained after taking all stakeholders into confidence, the chief minister said.

An interim assistance of Rs 1.5 lakh will be paid and a relief and rehabilitation plan is being worked out, the chief minister said, adding that a wrong impression is being created that the entire state is in danger. “Such an impression should not be created. We are going to have the international winter games in Auli in February. Char Dham yatra will also begin in a few months. This kind of wrong impression should not be created,” he said.

PROTESTS OVER DEMOLITION

Protests continued in the town as did the evacuation of affected families. 145 families have been evacuated so far from the danger zone in Joshimath, Disaster Management Authority, Chamoli said.

Also Read | Joshimath crisis: Rs 1.5 lakh per family, resettlement plan soon, says Uttarakhand CM

Over 700 houses have been declared unsafe in the city. Two adjacent hotels – the seven-storied Malari Inn and the five-storied Mount View – lean precariously on each other in the subsidence zone, posing a threat to over a dozen houses.

Preparations to demolish them mechanically began on Tuesday itself but hit a hurdle when their owners launched a protest with the locals, demanding compensation along the lines of what was offered to those displaced by the Badrinath renovation masterplan.

Meenakshi Sundaram, the secretary to the chief minister, met them and assured that adequate compensation in accordance to market rates would be given. Agitated locals continued their dharna and refused to allow the authorities to raze the hotels. “We want compensation along the lines of Badrinath. But the secretary to the chief minister said it was not possible. He said compensation as per market rate could be given. But when we asked what the market rate would be, he said he did not know,” the owner of Malari Inn said, reported news agency PTI.

RAINS TRIGGER LANDSLIDE SCARE

Light rainfall in Joshimath and snowfall in the Sunil area of Chamoli district on Wednesday fuelled a landslide scare. The sinking town and the surrounding areas witnessed rain and snowfall late last night. Dense clouds were witnessed in the higher reaches. However, the condition in Joshimath is better than yesterday. Snowfall was logged in the upper hills of the town as the mercury dipped further. Experts said that if heavy rainfall continues, the situation could become worrying. Experts also suggested a re-plantation drive in the region, especially at the vulnerable sites, to retain soil capacity.

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