Joshimath: The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday prepared to demolish two hotels badly hit by landslides in Joshimath, with hotel owners protesting the “sudden” move, saying they had no prior information about it. The state government on Monday decided to mechanically demolish the ‘Mount View’ and ‘Malari Inn’ hotels, which had recently developed huge cracks and were leaning towards each other, causing havoc to the surrounding settlements. A danger had arisen.
Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha told reporters that the Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee, has been roped in for the demolition exercise. Devastated hoteliers said they came to know about the development through newspapers and demanded that they should be offered a one-time settlement plan before taking a decision.
Thakur Singh, “I came to know about it through the newspapers this morning. There was no prior information. If the government has demarcated my hotel as unsafe, then before taking a decision to demolish it, it will go through the one-time settlement plan. Should have come along.” who owns the Malari Inn, said.
“The SDM asked me to come here as he was reaching here at 9 am. I have built this hotel with my blood and sweat. What will happen to me if it is demolished like this?” Singh, who belongs to the Bhotia tribe, told PTI.
Lalmani Semwal, owner of Mount View, expressed similar views. He said, “It is like killing a child that one has brought up with years of hard work in front of its parents.”
“We put all our resources into the construction of this hotel. We paid regular taxes to the government. It didn’t say anything then and now suddenly, it comes up with such a harsh decision. Isn’t it human rights violation ?”
“At least we should be offered a one-time settlement scheme as compensation on the lines of Badrinath,” Semwal said. Meanwhile, power supply lines to the hotels and surrounding areas were disconnected by the administration ahead of the demolition operation, disrupting power supply to around 500 houses in the vicinity.
Chief Secretary SS Sandhu had ordered the demolition of buildings located in high-risk zones in Joshimath and speedy evacuation of affected people, saying “every minute was important”. The gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Joshimath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence.
Joshimath is slowly sinking, huge cracks are appearing in houses, roads and fields. Locals said that many houses were leaning and sinking.