Two more hotels lean towards each other in joshimath, cracks widen at many places
Dehradun/Joshimath (U'khand): Two more hotels were dangerously leaning towards each other while wider cracks appeared near Auli ropeway and in other areas of land subsidence-hit Joshimath on Sunday.
The number of houses that have developed cracks has now risen to 826 out of which 165 are in the "unsafe zone", a bulletin from the Disaster Management Authority said. So far 233 families have been shifted to temporary relief centres.
The process of demolishing two adjacent hotels Malari Inn and Mount View which were declared unsafe was still underway. Around 100 metres from the site, two more hotels - Snow Crest and Comet - have tilted dangerously towards each other and have been vacated as a precautionary measure.
"The gap between the two hotels was around four feet earlier but now it has narrowed to just a few inches with their roofs nearly touching each other," Puja Prajapati, daughter of Snow Crest owner, said.
Wider cracks have appeared near the Joshimath-Auli ropeway whose operation was suspended over a week ago when land subsidence aggravated.
The 4.5 km ropeway, considered one of Asia's largest, connects Joshimath located at 6000 ft with the skiing destination of Auli at an altitude of 9000 feet.
A crack around four inches wide and 20 feet long has appeared near the walls in the ropeway premises, ropeway engineer Dinesh Bhatt said.
A hotel owner in Singdhar ward said the cracks in the area widened on Saturday night.
The flow of water increased from a suspected underground channel burst in JP Colony in the Marwari area of the town after a temporary decline a couple of days back. Muddy water has been percolating down from it constantly since January 2 but experts are not sure about its origins.
Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha said a constant vigil is being maintained on the pace of water percolation in the area which has been fluctuating.
The water flow has increased from 190 Litre Per Minute (LPM) to 240 LPM. It had decreased from 550 LPM in the beginning to 190 LPM on January 13.
Many houses were damaged in varying degrees in the land-subsidence areas while water from the aquifer was constantly flowing down with great force initially.
According to the Disaster Management Authority on Sunday, 17 more affected families were evacuated to temporary relief centres in Joshimath. The total number of families shifted to temporary relief centres now stands at 233.
An amount of Rs 249.27 lakh has been distributed among affected families as interim assistance so far, it said.
Ration kits, blankets, food, daily use kits, heaters and blowers have also been provided to them.
Amid widespread concern over the fate of the sinking town, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking the court's intervention to declare the crisis in Joshimath as a national disaster.
According to the cause list of January 16 uploaded on the apex court website, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala would hear the petition filed by Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati.
Several state-run institutions including ISRO have been directed by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Uttarakhand government not to interact with media or share information on social media on the Joshimath situation without prior approval.
The direction came after satellite images released by the Indian Space Research Organisation showed the rapid rate of subsidence in Joshimath between Dec 27 and January 8, fuelling concerns over the situation, even as Uttarkhand Minister Dhan Singh Rawat said on Saturday that the ISRO images have been withdrawn.
Meanwhile, special prayers were offered by locals at Nrisingh temple in Joshimath on Sunday to save the town from the land subsidence crisis, a former official of Badrinath temple Bhuvan Uniyal said.
A yagna was performed at the temple by local people praying for the town to emerge unharmed from the current crisis, Uniyal said.
The Rawal or head priest of the famed Badrinath shrine, Easwaraprasad Namboothiri, also urged authorities to stop the projects that harm nature and the people of the hilltop town.
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Bengal elections: Bhangar tense during polling, ISF claims voters, agents threatened
Kolkata (PTI): Tension gripped South 24 Parganas' Bhangar and its adjoining areas during the second phase of polling in West Bengal on Wednesday, with the Indian Secular Front (ISF) accusing TMC of trying to intimidate polling agents and influence voters.
NIA officials have been deployed in at least seven Assembly seats of West Bengal, where the second phase of polling is underway on Wednesday, after the Election Commission asked the federal probe agency to ensure bombs are not used to disrupt polling.
On April 26, police recovered crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, in Bhangar. Later, on a directive by the Union Home Ministry, the NIA registered a case to probe the recovery of 79 crude bombs in the state.
Trouble was reported from several pockets of Bhangar and Canning Purba constituency since morning, prompting heavy deployment of central forces, state police and NIA teams in sensitive areas.
At Hedia in Canning Purba constituency, the ISF alleged that one of its polling agents received death threats from TMC supporters.
ISF candidate Arabul Islam rushed to the spot after receiving the complaint and accused the administration of failing to ensure a fair election.
"Votes are being looted in Canning Purba. Our agents in booths are being driven out of several booths after snatching their cards and documents," he alleged.
Since morning, Islam was seen visiting booths and asking security personnel to clear gatherings within 100 metres of polling stations, while also assisting ISF polling agents in entering booths.
ISF chairman and Bhangar MLA Naushad Siddiqui also alleged that party workers and agents were being intimidated by ruling party supporters, but claimed that the overall atmosphere in Bhangar was comparatively peaceful compared to previous elections.
The fresh allegations and tension came a day after several areas of Bhangar, including Kochpukur and Joypur under Bhangar-II block, witnessed clashes between TMC and ISF supporters.
ISF supporters alleged that workers of the ruling party roamed through neighbourhoods on Tuesday night and threatened locals. When ISF workers protested, clashes broke out, leaving at least four of their compatriots, including a woman, injured.
Later, Siddiqui said, "The people of Bhangar are finally exercising their democratic rights. Earlier, bombs, bullets and pistols decided elections here. This time, people are choosing ballots and voting with a smile."
He alleged that "political dealers" and local goons loyal to TMC leader and Bhangar candidate Saukat Molla were trying to provoke ISF workers and create tension in certain areas.
"Agents are being threatened and prevented from functioning freely. We repeatedly informed the administration, but police are acting in favour of the ruling party and not cooperating," Siddiqui alleged.
Later in the day, the ISF leader also claimed that voters were prevented from exercising their franchise freely during the 2023 panchayat polls and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. However, the situation has improved this time, he said.
The TMC denied the allegations and accused the ISF of trying to create unrest in the constituency to influence polling.
Security was significantly tightened in Bhangar, where, apart from state police and central forces, a special team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) was also deployed to monitor sensitive pockets.
