Joshimath crisis Local activists threaten to block traffic on route to Badrinath

Gopeshwar, Apr 5 (PTI) The Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, a group of local activists who first raised the issue of landslides in the hill town, on Wednesday threatened to block traffic on the road leading to Badrinath if their demands are not met by April 27. .
The Himalayan temple is set to open for devotees on April 27 after the winter break.
Among the demands of the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti’s (JBSS) is the cancellation of NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugad hydel and Helang-Marwadi Bypass Project.
In a letter written to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Thami, JPSS organizer Atul Sati has also demanded that the affected people be compensated and rehabilitated in a proper manner.
Sati said in the letter that if all this is not done by April 27, people will take to the streets and protest.
He said his organization had urged the state government to set up a high-level committee comprising local and JPSS representatives to deal with the crisis, but the demand was not heeded, adding to the problems of the people.
He said that another demand by JBSS to form a coordination committee at the local level to address the waterfall problem was also ignored.
“People are getting impatient and angry with the indifference of the state government on the Joshimath crisis. If the state government does not take positive steps on our genuine demands by April 27, we have no option but to resort to JPSS. The chakka jam agitation may hamper the pilgrims on their pilgrimage,” Sati said. said.
The letter also bears the signatures of JPSS Secretary and Spokesperson Kamal Rathuri.
Speaking to PTI earlier, Sati expressed her displeasure over the state government’s handling of the matter.
“People are dissatisfied with the state government. They are still homeless and forced to live in temporary relief camps,” he said.
Eight scientific institutes that have studied the city’s collapse crisis from various angles are yet to make their reports public.
“No plan has been formulated yet to save Joshimath. JPSS has been agitating on this issue for four months. But we are not listening,” alleged Sati.