A state of dilemma for a number of families residing in Joshimath, the holy town of Uttarakhand as many as 561 homes have developed massive cracks and is on the verge of collapse.
The town was shown in its most vulnerable state in the site's photos and videos, with many people about to lose their homes and hopes. As they looked at a significant loss and feared for their lives, many Joshimath town residents found themselves in a state of dilemma and uncertainty.
While many families continue to live in their damaged homes, risking their lives in freezing temperatures, several have relocated to safer locations.
According to ground reports from Joshimath, the people of the holy town are now living on a ticking time bomb, with cracks in their homes "increasing every hour." Singhdhar and Marwadi's cracking process has now begun to get worse. Cracking continues in the Badrinath National Highway near the Singhdhar Jain community and JP Company Gate in Marwadi, near the forest department checkpoint. This crack is growing at an alarming rate every hour, as stated by Chairman of the Joshimath Municipality, Shailendra Pawar.
In JP colony, Marwadi ward of Joshimath, cases of water seepage from underground have also been reported by the District Disaster Management Department. Shalendar Panwar stated, "People are also facing a lot of difficulty walking due to the fact that cracks are also increasing on all of the main roads of Sunil Ward." District Magistrate Chamoli has appointed Joint Magistrate Deepak Saini to Joshimath due to the continued sinking of the land there.
According to District Disaster Management Officer NK Joshi, over 560 houses in various parts of the town have cracked, including 153 in Ravigram, 127 in Gandhinagar, 71 in Manoharbagh, 50 in Parsari, 29 in Upper Bazar, 27 in Suneel, 28 in Marwadi, and 24 in Lower Bazar.
The people of Joshimath were in a state of panic as they staged protests and blocked the Badrinath highway.