Jyotirmath: Following the land-subsidence disaster in January 2022, which devastated Uttarakhand’s Jyotirmath town (formerly known as Joshimath), the local administration had halted repairs on buildings with cracks in walls and floors.
Now, the Chamoli administration has lifted this ban, allowing residents to repair their homes. Building owners will need to provide an affidavit. On September 25, the District Magistrate heard local residents’ concerns about the issues caused by the repair ban. Hearing the plight of locals, the administration has taken this decision.
Permission has been granted for temporary repair of green and yellow category residential buildings
Permission has been granted for the temporary repair of green and yellow category residential buildings in disaster-affected Jyotirmath (Joshimath). Chamoli district magistrate Sandeep Tiwari issued orders allowing only repair work on residential buildings, prohibiting any new construction. Building owners must provide an affidavit to proceed with repairs. All types of construction had been banned in Jyotirmath following the landslide, which had prevented residents from repairing their homes.
DM heard the problems of the disaster affected people
Two months ago, on September 25, the Chamoli District Magistrate listened to the concerns of the local people in Jyotirmath regarding the ban on building repairs. During this meeting, it was revealed that the technical team categorized 482 buildings as red, 34 as black, 442 as yellow, and 280 as green, according to the level of damage that occurred due to the disaster.
722 building owners of green and yellow category have got relief
Following the disaster, the state government announced compensation for all those forced to vacate their residential and commercial buildings. However, at the tehsil level, only 217 families have received compensation for their damaged or affected homes, leaving others to live in cracked buildings. With winter approaching, there is a need to allow repairs to roofs, windows, and doors. Seeing the people’s difficulties, the DM issued orders permitting temporary repairs in yellow and green category residential buildings, but no new construction is allowed. Building owners must provide an affidavit for this. Consequently, 722 building owners in the green and yellow categories have received relief.
The land subsidence disaster in Jyotirmath, Uttarakhand is a significant issue that has damaged buildings, infrastructure, and natural resources in the area. The town is located in the Middle Himalayas and is situated in a geologically unstable region.
