Joshimath continues to sink as the government plows ahead with giant projects - Shruti Jain

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Since making headlines in January, Joshimath town in Uttarakhand continues to sink while the massive development projects, which locals insist are causing the subsidence, also continue.

New cracks are appearing in the houses and roads of Joshimath town, along with deep cavities in the fields. But people who are affected, wait for rehabilitation, with only a few having received meagre compensation, that too for their houses alone.

The government has neither come up with a rehabilitation plan nor shared the report of the expert committee constituted by it to study the land subsidence, which could inform the people of the possible future threats.

The government has also ignored the allegations of residents that massive infrastructure projects, particularly the construction activities of the NTPC, formerly known as the National Thermal Power Corporation, are to blame for the land subsidence.

While pushing such development, the government has turned a blind eye to repeated disasters in Uttarakhand over the last decade alone, such as the 2013 and 2021 floods, numerous landslides and destabilised villages – like the Chipko village Reini in Joshimath.

With residents of the town having nowhere to go and few options in sight, such development projects are rendering Joshimath uninhabitable, in contrast to their stated goals.

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