Joshimath Crisis: PIL For High Power Committee Withdraws From Delhi HC

A PIL regarding land sinking incident in Joshimath has been withdrawn from the Delhi High Court.
The Division Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma & Justice Subramonium Prasad disperses a PIL that has been withdrawn by Rohit Dandriyal, a Delhi based Lawyer who stated that the area got effected due to the infrastructural and climatical change.

The Supreme Court granted liberty to petitioners to approach the Uttarakhand High Court while refusing to entertain a similar PIL that already being seized related to this matter.

The Uttarakhand Government had earlier informed the apex court that National & State Disaster Response Forces were set out to deal with crises, and therefore many people have been relocated and resettled.

Uttarakhand JK Sethi, the Deputy Advocate General had submitted two committees formed to lookout into the issue. Nearly 500 families that are living in Joshimath are either risking their lives by still living in their houses or searching for the accommodation at some other place in cold weather condition.

On January 6, the petitioner has requested to constitute Ministries of Road Transport and Highways, Home Affairs and Power, New & Renewable Energy in a view of construction in the project of Vishnuprayag hydroelectric plant and national highway. The said construction activity in the Joshimath from the past few years violated resident’s fundamental rights, the plea added.

It further added that one of the strangest phenomena to affect holy town’s nestled in the serene hills in Chamoli at the height of 6,000 ft, houses started developing damages & cracks since 2021, that leaves residents worries and anxious. Since the day 1 report of the cracks in 2021, over 570 houses sustained damages as residents have frequently experienced seismic tremors in the subsequent years.