Joshimath is a lesson not to be repeated

All popular dailies and news portals have fixated their eyes on Uttarakhand. The northern Indian state is never a novice to natural disasters. Over years, disasters of different hues happened in the state, but nothing could take away the innate charm the state adorns. And now, after some time, Joshimath a town in Uttarakhand is the talking point for all. BBC while preparing a report labeled the place as the “sinking town” of India. Cracks are found in almost every home in Joshimath, evoking fear among the residents of this scenic town. Even the Badrinath national highway connecting Joshimath is in the grip of landslides.

Out of the 4,500 buildings in the town, 610 now have cracks that render them uninhabitable. The mounting tensions passed every threshold forcing the officials to carry out the immediate evacuation of around 600 families in the town. Central government agencies and experts have already camped in the holy town, prepared to react to an emergency. Helicopters and ambulances are in good numbers to carry out any swift operation.

With 6000 feet above sea level, the divine land sits in the middle of a slope, that always teetered on the edge with repeated threats of erosion and landslide. Joshimath is prone to landslides and has witnessed quite many earthquakes in the last 5 decades. Experts voice the opinion that it is the slew of infrastructure projects on a fragile ecosystem like the Himalayas that resulted in the divine land hanging on the edge. A big budgeted hydroelectric project was also progressing in the hillslope town in recent times.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and his cohorts are on a busy run these days. With choc full of responsibilities over his head, the CM is reaching out to residents, comforting and persuading them to move to a safer place. Many Residents are still grief-stricken about the thought of leaving behind the homes that have every memory of decades.

With tensions rising every day, some strong opinions are now afloat about the hang-back approach exercised by the government. Jyothi peeth Shankaracharya, a revered figure, also echoed the peoples' view of the government slowing down in the evacuation process. National Thermal Power Corporation's Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Power Project is being zeroed in by experts as the killer project that upended the holy haven to turn disastrous.

Considering the burgeoning crisis, the Prime minister has called for a meeting with experts and has personally held one with CM Pushkar Singh Dhami. PM assured all possible help to save Joshimath, the chief minister said. The unfurling o events in Joshimath is a caveat to other states including Kerala. The need to protect our mountains has still not bode well with the people and the clueless many in government. Joshimath should be a lesson not repeated, but in Kerala, the officials are hell-bent on intruding forest to set up metal crushers to break mountains. All for development!