India set to demolish buildings in sinking Himalayan town

NEW DELHI, 11 January 2023, (TON): Indian authorities will demolish some buildings in a northern Himalayan town near the China border after evacuating families in the past few days, an official said, as hundreds of houses developed cracks in the area popular with pilgrims.

Experts and residents have long warned that large-scale construction work in and around Joshimath town, including for power projects built by companies like state-run NTPC, could lead to land subsidence.

NTPC, India’s largest power producer, says its tunnelling and other work is not responsible for the cracks in the town of about 17,000 people.

Joshimath is a gateway to Hindu and Sikh shrines and is popular with tourists looking to trek parts of the Himalayas.

Login to post comments
Go to top