Demand To Declare Joshimath Crisis As National Disaster: PIL To Be Listed In SC Tomorrow For Urgent Hearing

New Delhi, 9th January 2023: The Supreme Court (SC) has asked a petitioner, seeking the court’s intervention to declare the crisis in Joshimath in Uttarakhand as a national calamity, to mention his plea on Tuesday for urgent listing.

A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha on Monday told advocate Parameshwara Nath Mishra, appearing for Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati, who mentioned the petition for urgent listing. They have been asked to follow the procedure and mention it again on Tuesday.

“Mention again on Tuesday after following due process when your matter is in the mentioned list,” the bench said. Saraswati claimed that the incident happened due to large-scale industrialization and demanded immediate financial assistance and compensation to the people of Uttarakhand.

The petition has also sought direction from the National Disaster Management Authority to actively support the residents of Joshimath in this challenging time.

“There is no need for any development at the cost of human lives and their ecosystem, and if anything happens, it is the duty of the state and central government to stop it immediately on a war footing,” the saint’s plea said. ‘

The gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Joshimath, Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli, is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence.

Joshimath is slowly sinking and huge cracks are appearing in houses, roads and fields. Local people said that many houses have caved in. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered the immediate evacuation of 600 families living in at-risk houses.