Geeta Saklani lived on Auli Road in Joshimath. They had to leave it after huge cracks appeared on the walls of the house. The administration has shifted them somewhere else. But the sorrow of the destruction of the house is clearly visible on his face. The administration has made a red cross mark at home. That means no one can live here. The story of every crumbling house of Joshimath is like the story of Geeta.
Here there are deep cracks in the walls of the houses, the roads are sinking, and water is coming out tearing the ground from place to place. This is the condition of Joshimath in Uttarakhand. Here in the first phase, 678 houses and 2 hotels have been declared unsafe. People are being asked to vacate the place. The red danger signs on the houses have made the faces of the local people pale. Seeing the ruined homes, there is only worry and despair everywhere. From today the work of demolishing hotels and houses is going to be done.
On the way from Joshimath to Auli, after crossing the ITBP camp, a house looks like an open space. As soon as you get down on the road nearby, a shop is seen, whose shutter is closed. A stairway has been made to get down from the road. Cracks are visible on the stairs. The ground has split between the road and the house. As soon as you go down 10-15 stairs, there are houses on both sides. Cracks have appeared on the walls of the house. The vacant houses are just one example of the apprehension of destruction in Joshimath.
The vacant houses are just one example of the apprehension of destruction in Joshimath. While we were looking through these cracks, a woman was seen coming down the stairs wrapped in a shawl. The woman wearing Kanchupa (Pahari women’s cap) on her head hesitated on seeing us. It was evening. He had a bucket in his hand. She has once again come to milk the house where her memories are hidden for her whole life and suddenly she was made to vacate this house and shifted to another place.
The woman extracts milk from the cowshed and gives fodder to the three cows. Fodder was collected for the cows in October-November which is still going on. She comes out and tells us that she has shifted us but our cattle are still here. The administration has put a red mark on the house and told us 3 days ago that we cannot live in this house anymore. The woman says that after getting married in 2003, she came to this house.
It is about to get dark in a while, and as soon as the woman reaches the courtyard, she looks at her whole house. The sorrow of the destruction of the house is clearly visible on his face. The administration has made a red cross mark on the house. That means no one can live here. There are only cattle. The woman gazes down at the courtyard. Then something bubbles and goes towards the cowshed.
Pramod Saklani is my husband’s name, till 3 days ago we were living in this house but now SDM and his team came here, they told us that we cannot stay here, first we have to shift to the tourism department hotel or guest house in Joshimath market. was being done but when we were told about our cattle, then we were made to stay in the nearby Pahadi Cafe, which is currently living there.
The Chief Minister himself had come to see us two days ago and he was telling us that the matter has reached the Prime Minister, so there is some hope that something will happen. Otherwise, nothing has happened since the crackdown. We didn’t go to whom, went as far as possible but didn’t get any help.
Pointing towards the house, Geeta Devi becomes emotional. She tells that the house is on the verge of collapse. These cracks are not of today. Today other family members live nearby, there are cracks in their houses too. It was difficult to stay at home. We were saying since last year, but no one was listening. Geeta Devi says that since the rains came in October last year, cracks have appeared in the houses of Joshimath.
Many newsmen came, photographs were taken, all came but nothing happened. We kept on spending nights in the shadow of fear, we didn’t even have hope left. But this time when I heard in Joshimath that cracks have appeared everywhere, then for the last few days everyone is coming to us every day. The administration, the minister, and the Chief Minister also came here, and everyone is giving consolation, for the time being, the administration has made arrangements for us to stay at a safe place. He told that the administration is saying that a new cowshed will be built, and the cow will also be taken there.
There is helplessness in Geeta’s eyes, despair on her face, and emotion in her words. There are light tears in the eyes. She says that from 2003 to 2021 there was laughter and happiness in this house, but after the rains in 2021, this house kept scary every day. I couldn’t sleep during the rainy night, I used to feel scared, and I couldn’t speak, but I used to think in my mind, what will happen if it breaks?
On reaching the road by climbing 12 to 15 stars, a shop is visible on the roof of this house. This Geeta is of Devi Saklani’s husband Pramod. Pramod’s age is between 45 to 50. Pramod is looking at his shop, the shutter is closed. Like the house, there is a red mark on the shop too. They tell that tea is sold in this shop. The shop is on Auli Marg, so some groceries are also kept. A large number of tourists reach Auli in winter, due to which shop-keeping takes place.
Pramod tells that this time the shop is closed. Joshimath is getting completely ruined. Don’t know what will happen? The streak of worry can be clearly seen on Pramod’s face. They ask whether the house will be able to be built, or if will they have to live like this.
Sleep used to fly in the rain
Pramod says that we used to lose sleep on rainy days. Even today we are not able to sleep, we are not worried that the house will collapse, we are worried that if the house collapses, how will we be able to build another house? Because we do not have such big employment and if the government gives us compensation even after the house is broken, then people say that you will get * 4 lacks, what will be done in it? It was such a big house, but even two rooms would not be able to be built in 4 lakhs. Pramod gets emotional while saying this.
They tell that they had thought that there is a house on Auli Road, and they would make a homestay by adding little money. So that we can earn some money and do something good for the children, but we were hit in such a way that no one should be hit like this. This is not possible even in agriculture, so I run a shop, now that too is closed. what will happen? can not understand anything.
Had to leave Ashiana for the second time
Pramod says that he left his village Sema and came to Sunil village in the 1970 landslide. Pramod says, “Our fate is like this, earlier we used to live in Sema village at the lowest end of Joshimath, where we had to leave the house in 1970 when our father brought us here. Here was our old house. But now the same situation has happened in Joshimath.”
Pramod says that his father used to tell him how he had to leave Sema village which was on the verge of destruction after a landslide. But now this house of ours is also on the verge of collapse. Now we have to leave this house also, it is no longer possible to live in these houses.
Pramod says that we are three brothers. There is a family of 14 members. All three brothers live separately. They tell that out of 6 daughters of the elder brother, three got married in this house. But now the house is left behind with the same memories. The education of children is also in danger. We do not have a government job, we make ends meet by selling milk and from the shop, but now the shop is closed.
