Joshimath Land Subsidence: Shankaracharya Files Petition in SC

The case of landslide in Joshimath on Friday reached at the Supreme Court. Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Jyotishpeeth Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati Maharaj has filed a petition.

“It is the result of the planned destruction of Himalayan regions in the name of development. Today, the lives of thousands of people in Joshimath, which is the main centre of Indian culture, is in danger,” said Jagadguru Shankaracharya in his petition.

One-time relief package from the Uttarakhand government along with the safety of the lives and property of the families in danger- Shankaracharya demanded in his petition.

In the petition Shankaracharya demands to deal with incidents like landslides, land bursts, to ensure the safety of the public property of the people of this region, Should be declared in the category of national disaster. Shankaracharya requested in his petition to direct the Center and the National Disaster Management Authority to take quick and effective steps. NTPC and Border Roads Organization should also be ordered to help in the relief work.

In the petition, the Central Government, NDMA, Government of Uttarakhand, NTPC, BRO and the District Magistrate of Chamoli district of Joshimath have been made parties. Along with the rehabilitation of the affected people, the court has also been urged to order them to provide financial help.

Due to this land subsidence, he further emphasised that one of the four Maths, Badrinath temple & Jyotish Peeth in Joshimath’s Narsingh temple is also in danger and suggested rehabilitating the deity and safer place to the people of the town.

“There are high chances that the Narsingh Temple, which is the winter stay of the ride of Lord Badrinath and Adi Jagadguru Shankaracharya’s Jyotishpeeth of North India also in danger and could be sink into the earth, thus may bringing such an important city of importance to Indian culture under threat,” shankracharya mentioned in his petition.

The Shankaracharya had arrived in Haridwar and is on his way to Joshimath.

Talking to media persons at Shankaracharya Math in Haridwar, the Jyotish Peeth Shankaracharya said that the government ignored the problem earlier and did not pay attention to it, however now, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is displaying active interest.

The Shankaracharya said adding that the people here are facing the brunt of the unplanned and uncontrolled development on the mountain. “The government did not pay attention to this problem earlier but now the Chief Minister seems to be active regarding the problem of Joshimath,”

“The development plans made for the mountains should be made according to the geographical conditions here,” he added.

According to the Chamoli district administration statement on Friday, out of 561 establishments, 153 in Ravigram ward, 127 in the Gandhinagar ward, 28 in the Marwadi ward, 24 in the Lower Bazaar ward, 52 in the Singhdhar ward, 71 in the Manohar Bagh ward, 29 in the Upper Bazaar ward 27 in the Sunil ward and 50 in Parsari have reported cracks, due to which the operations of Hotel View and Malari Inn were restricted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, till further orders.

On Thursday, several families were displaced, including four families in Joshimath Municipal Corporation, one from Gurudwara Joshimath, one from Tourist Hostel, Manohar Bagh and others.
A total of 38 families have been displaced so far.

Notably, Joshimath Municipal Chairman Shailendra Pawar said huge cracks appeared in the houses due to water leakage from inside the ground in the Marwadi ward. The District Magistrate on Saturday said that all construction work has been halted in view of the situation in Joshimath. CM Dhami earlier today visited the town and conduct physical inspections of the land subsidence affected areas.