'JCBs Wherever Needed': In Joshimath, Demolitions of 2 'Unsafe' Hotels Begin

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a Rs 45 crore relief package for families affected by the disaster.

Hotels Malari Inn and Mount View in Joshimath. 

Photo: The Quint

Hotel Malari Inn and Hotel Mount View.

These are the names of the two hotels in Joshimath that will be demolished by the district administration of Chamoli. According to Inspector General Garhwal, the demolitions began on Thursday, 12 January.

Located at a height of 6150 feet, Joshimath is a witnessing a crisis that has seen 169 families relocated so far. As per Uttarakhand Disaster Management Secretary Ranjit Sinha, a compensation of Rs 5,000 has been given to 73 families each for general expenses by the district administration.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has announced a Rs 45 crore relief package for the rehabilitation of all the families affected by the disaster caused by landslide and subsidence.

Process for Demolition Begins: NRDF, SRDF on Site

Both hotels, the Malari Inn and the Mount View, have been deemed unsafe due to the former having almost shifted off it's foundation, which led to it tilting towards the latter.

The demolition was originally scheduled to proceed on Tuesday, 10 January. It was, however, halted due to protests organised by the hotel owners in which some local residents also took part. The protests are yet to cease despite the district authorities' determination to proceed with the demolition.

Any and all movement near the demolition site has been halted to ensure the safety of the people, according to Inspector-General Garhwal.

An official taking part in the demilition told PTI that "first, the iron sheets shading the hotel's roof will be removed. JCBs will also be used wherever needed. But everything will be done under the technical supervision of CBRI."

Eight teams from the State Disaster Response Forces (SDRF) and two teams from the National Disaster Response Forces (NRDF) have been deployed, with one more team from the NRDF en route. The police are also present at the site.

A field party sent by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) has also been sent to Joshimath with seismic equipment.

Uttarakhand CM Announces Relief Package of 45 Crores 

According to CM Dhami, the 45 crore relief package for all families affected been released for approximately 3,000 families, ANI reported.

"For the time being, interim assistance of Rs 1.50 Lakh per family is being given. An advance amount of Rs 1 lakh has been given to the affected land owners or families due to landslides in the affected area before the permanent settlement displacement policy is prepared," the chief minister said while addressing the media on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah called for a meeting on 12 January regarding the crisis in Joshimath.

The meeting was attended by union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Bhupendra Yadav, RK Singh, Gajendra Shekhawat along with Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla.

Officials from the NRDF and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) were also present.

The Home Ministry has been consistently monitoring the situation. Information regarding relief and rescue operations in the city was discussed in the crisis-meeting as well.

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