Fresh cracks have been seen on the Badrinath National Highway and its pictures have also come to the fore. One to two meter long cracks have appeared on the Badrinath National Highway in Joshimath, the only road leading to Badrinath, a place of faith for lakhs of Hindus. After seeing these cracks, there is an atmosphere of fear among the people of the area and there is a discussion about how this problem will be solved. District officials, however, said the cracks were not a ’cause for concern’ and would be repaired before the annual pilgrimage to Badrinath, which usually begins in May.
Uttarakhand | Some cracks are visible on the Badrinath National Highway in Joshimath pic.twitter.com/4OD4YTkTCc– ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 23, 2023
More than 863 houses in about 4,500 buildings have developed cracks since October 2021 in Joshimath, known as the gateway to Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib pilgrimage sites. At least 181 buildings in the city have been placed in unsafe zones, and 275 families have been moved to safer areas, district officials informed. Citing experts from the Central Building Research Institute, Chamoli District Magistrate Himanshu Khurana said a small crack on the Badrinath highway was caused by the load, but was not a cause for concern.
Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha told that the administration is keeping a close watch on the land subsidence of the highway. Sinha said that instructions have been given to the concerned agencies to repair the road. He said that it would be completely repaired before the Char Dham Yatra. It will be a big challenge for the government to repair the road before the yatra.
In view of the cracks, along with the obstruction in the way to Badrinath Dham, the contact of the Indian Army with the China border can also be broken. Geologist Professor MPS Bisht after visiting the area said that the pattern of cracks is parallel. Apart from this, the falling of big stones on the side of the road is also becoming a cause of concern for the government.