In Joshimath, those impacted by the ground subsidence staged a torch-lit parade to protest the state government's refusal to compensate them for their losses. On Thursday night, the crowd headed by Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti convenor Atul Sati marched from TCP bazar to Marwadi chawk while waving torches and yelling slogans.
After receiving promises of concrete action on its 11-point charter of demands from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Samiti withdrew its 107-day-old sit-in protest last month, Sati said.
“However, 22 days have gone since we received the Chief Minister's pledge, yet no action has yet been taken. We are forced to restart our agitation because we have no other choice,” he said.
The requests of the Samiti include the streamlining of the procedure for compensating those who have been harmed and the release of the findings of a collaborative research on the Joshimath land subsidence disaster done by many eminent scientific institutes.
“People are let down. Only 20% of those who were harmed have gotten compensation. Land subsidence is still happening. As the monsoon draws near, things will become worse, Sati warned.
