Joshimath crisis highlights: Malari Inn hotel to be demolished today

Joshimath highlights: Joshimath, home to over 25,000 people, is an overnight halt for those visiting Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, and other places. This has resulted in mushrooming of hotels and resorts in the area - a factor experts blame for the heaviest land subsidence reported there to till date.

Authorities will begin the demolition work of the hotels and houses in the Uttarakhand town - of Joshimath on Tuesday, which has developed cracks in the wake of the landslide and subsidence. Hotels Malari Inn and Mount View, which have developed more cracks, will be demolished, officials said. 

The demolition work will be supervised by the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) fielded to assist the local administration.

Joshimath, home to a population of more than 25,000 people, is an overnight halt for those visiting the shrines at Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and other tourist destinations, which has resulted in mushrooming of too many hotels and resorts in the area - a factor which the experts blame for the heaviest land subsidence reported in the town till date. According to state government officials, there are around 3,800 residential structures and 400 commercial buildings in the town.

The evacuation bid comes even as the Uttarakhand government is working on a plan to rehabilitate the affected locals gripped with panic and fear and staring at an uncertain future.

Meanwhile, the District Disaster Management Authority, Chamoli issued a bulletin in view of landslides in the Joshimath area. The bulletin said that cracks have been noticed in a total of 678 buildings in the town and in view of security, about 81 families have been temporarily displaced from the region.