“Six structures in four wards have been found to be very unsafe,” Himanshu Khurana, a top official in Joshimath-based Chamoli district, told Reuters. “We will demolish some unsafe buildings based on the recommendation and under the guidance of federal experts.”
He said two buildings had already been identified for demolition, without specifying when that might happen.
Khurana had earlier told Reuters that work on NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugarh 520 MW hydro power plant had been suspended along with some border road projects.
Local resident Prakash Bhutial, 50, said seven of the 11 rooms in his residence-cum-guesthouse have developed cracks and are waiting to be shifted to a safer place.
“Our family of nine has been forced to live in just one room,” he said. “We have kept all our belongings in the open. We are yet to be shifted to a safer place.”