Thursday, 12 January 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Former chief minister Harish Rawat has said that the announcement of demolition of buildings without giving compensation or making any other alternate arrangement in the Joshimath city exhibits the insensitivity of the BJP government. In protest against the handling of the Joshimath crisis by the State government, Rawat sat on a symbolic fast in front of the statue of the Mahatma Gandhi at Gandhi Park on Wednesday. He was accompanied by large number of leaders and workers of the Congress party. Rawat said that the seat of Adi Guru Shankaracharya, the winter abode of Lord Badrinath and centre of religious faith of Hindus, Joshimath is breaking apart and the government is lacking the seriousness and the sensitivity which it should have in dealing with the situation. Rawat said that the State government is claiming that it is worried about the safety of the local people but this is wrong. “Joshimath is crying. It is calling us but the State government has remained in quandary. This not for the first time the State has faced a crisis. The people of the Uttarakhand have faced a natural calamity of major proportion like Kedarnath disaster in the year,’’ he said. The former CM said that first duty of the State government should be to provide protection to the property, life and cattle wealth of the people. He said that the government should provide adequate compensation to the people before demolishing their properties. During the fast Rawat and Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara decided that the party would gherao the residence of chief minister if the State government fails to announce adequate compensation before demolition of buildings till Thursday evening. Speaking on the occasion the former PCC president Ganesh Godiyal said that Joshimath is passing through a very critical phase. He said while the entire leadership of Congress party reached Joshimath and provided support and solace to the affected people not even a single minister of government stayed for a single night in Joshimath. Godiyal said that the State administration is not taking cognizance of the families it has shifted away from their homes.
Former MLA of Kedarnath Manoj Rawat, vice president organisation Mathura Dutt Joshi, Puran Rawat, Pradeep Joshi, Mahendra Negi, Garima Dasauni and others accompanied Harish Rawat at Gandhi Park.
The members of the Uttarakhand Hotel Association also supported the fast in protest against the State government’s decision to demolish the hotels.
