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The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Saturday asked Central Government to convene an all-party meeting to assess the situation in Joshimath and Karnaprayag and to plan for rehabilitation of people.
CPI in a statement expressed deep concern about reports of heavy damage to houses in Joshimath and Karnaprayag. Himalayas are comparatively new mountains without solid rocks and hence all development projects in the area need to be planned carefully taking into consideration fragile mountains and the sustainability of the environment. "The present state and central government approach in this area of development does not take into consideration the environmental concerns and sustainability and hence needs an immediate course correction. Compensation given to citizens is not adequate and rehabilitation plans must be made taking people in confidence," CPI said in a statement CPI further said in a statement that happenings in Joshimath and Karnaprayag are a warning to the development projects pushed ahead without sustainability of environmental consideration. "The CPI appeals to keep the sustainability of the environment while undertaking development projects. All party meeting should be called to discuss the situation and plan for the future" CPI added. Several houses collapsed at Singhdhar in the Joshimath town of Uttarakhand in the midnight hours of January 2 and 3, sources said. However, no lives were lost in these incidents, they added. According to sources, cracks at several houses and a nearby temple started widening, to the point where they eventually collapsed. Speaking to ANI, Harish, a local, said, "It happened on January 2. It was around 2.30 am when we were sleeping. We heard a noise as the cracks on the walls opened up and big chunks of concrete started falling off." "We were scared and spent the night under an open sky. We were shifted to a government school nearby the day after," he said. "Many important documents and household items were destroyed. But thankfully, no lives were lost. Some hotels in Manohar Bagh, too, have developed big cracks," Harish added. Another local resident, Rishi Devi, said while his residence and many others had developed cracks for some time, the municipality refused to act saying it had no order from the higher authorities. "Our house had developed cracks for some time. We had requested the municipality for help. But over a span of two days, on January 2 and 3, our house as well as others collapsed. A nearby temple, too, collapsed and we even lost our cattle. Both my sons are jobless now," Rishi Devi told ANI. (ANI)
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