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Joshimath is facing a major challenge due to land subsidence and the formation of huge cracks on roads, houses, etc.
While observing that all issues must not come to it directly, the Supreme Court today agreed to hear the PIL filed on the recent land sinking incidents in Joshimath on January 16.
After the PIL was mentioned before a CJI Chandrachud led bench which refused urgent hearing in the matter, the bench further said,
"Everything important in the country can't come to us, there are democratically elected institutions in the country that can look after such issues..."
Notably, the PIL seeks a direction to declare Joshimath as a National Disaster and a direction for the National Disaster Management Authority to actively support the residents of Joshimath.
The plea has also prayed for financial assistance and compensation to the residents of Joshimath.
In a related plea, yesterday, the Delhi High Court had directed a lawyer appearing in person in a PIL filed seeking direction to the Centre to form a high-powered joint committee to investigate the sinking of Joshimath in Uttarakhand, to check whether a similar request has been made in the Supreme Court as well.
The PIL, before the High Court, seeks direction to the representatives of all pertinent ministries, which are involved in people's rehabilitation, to look into the sinking issue right away for the affected areas of Joshimath.
It states that it is imperative that the government of India recognises the hardship of the residents of the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand and take action to give them access to the necessities for a decent living.
"In one of the strangest phenomena to strike the holy town nestled in the serene hills of Chamoli at a height of 6,000 ft, houses started developing cracks and damages since 2021, leaving residents anxious and worried. Since the first reports of the cracks in 2021 after landslides in Chamoli, over 570 houses have sustained damages or cracks as residents experienced seismic tremors repeatedly in the subsequent years", the plea adds.
Furthermore, it states that Joshimath is home to one of the four cardinal 'Pithas' established by Adi Shankara.
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