Locals fear as fresh crack appears near house in Joshimath

A fresh crack has appeared near a residential building in subsidence-hit Joshimath, sparking concerns among residents and the administration that the problem might worsen during the monsoon.

The crack appeared a couple of days ago between the residential building and the retaining wall of the Joshimath-Auli motor road in Sunil ward, Joshimath tehsildar Ravi Shah, who led a team of public works department (PWD) engineers to the spot to examine the problem on Monday, told PTI on the phone.

"Local residents had already filled the crack with soil before our team arrived at the spot to examine the issue," he said, adding the team will continue to keep a watch.

Locals expressed apprehension that the land subsidence might only worsen with the arrival of the monsoon.

"Cracks were already there in Sunil ward and they may have started widening due to the recent spell of rains," Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti spokesperson Kamal Raturi said.

The latest crack is located near the house of Vinod Saklani. It is nearly six feet deep, according to residents.

Meanwhile, the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti staged a dharna at the tehsil office to protest against a study report of scientists on the subsidence issue in Joshimath not being made public even after six months of the crisis.

Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti convenor Atul Sati demanded that the report be made public so that people can find out if the places where they have shifted after vacating their houses are safe or not.

"It is beyond understanding why the state government is not putting the scientific study report on the crisis in public domain," Sati said.

In January, 868 houses in Joshimath had developed cracks. Of these, 181 houses were declared unsafe by the district administration and their occupants were evacuated to safe locations within and outside the town.

Sixty families in Joshimath are living in relief camps.