Landslide causes fresh cracks in houses, roads in Joshimath

A landslide that occurred near Selang village in Joshimath has caused fresh cracks in some houses and roads. The administration has asked the affected people to shift to safer places or relief camps.

Chamoli: Torrential rains have once again left Uttarakhand's Joshimath in danger. A landslide occurred on the under-construction Marwari Helang bypass near Selang village in Joshimath, causing fresh cracks and widening the existing ones in houses and adjoining roads.

The district administration has asked the affected people to go to safer places or take shelter in the relief camps. Fresh cracks have appeared on the roads leading to Manohar Bagh ward and Sunil village in Joshimath along with the fields and roads in Singhdhar ward. In Joshimath's Sunil Ward, 16 families have been affected due to the landslide. The administration has asked five families to shift to the relief camps.

The chance of landslides is continuously increasing Joshimath with the situation worsening due to the monsoons. Disaster Management Officer Nandkishore Joshi said that the affected people have been advised to either go to safe places or relief camps. Also, the administration is getting the affected areas tested to determine the extent of damage caused.

On the Joshimath Narasimha Temple Motorway, cracks had developed at various places even before the landslide. As a result of which, the movement of heavy vehicles has been stopped and traffic is being diverted from the main market. Now, in view of the existing situation, the Narasimha temple bypass has been closed even for the smaller vehicles. To visit Narsingh Temple, vehicles are coming from the petrol pump located on Badrinath Highway.

After getting information about the landslide, a team of tehsil administration of Joshimath conducted a ground inspection of the areas in Negi and Panwar localities of Sunil Ward.

Meanwhile, the Auli ropeway has been closed since February for safety reasons. Due to which, tourists aiming to visit Auli through ropeway are being compelled to travel by road. The suspension of the ropeway, has also left the Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam Ltd (GMVN) suffering losses amounting to several lakhs.