Joshimath News : After Joshimath in Uttarakhand, incidents of landslides are coming to the fore in other places as well. The condition of Selang village, located about five kilometers from Joshimath, is expected to be similar to that of Joshimath. In Selang village too, cracks have started appearing in many houses and fields. The local villagers are quite scared after seeing the conditions in Joshimath. This is happening in the village for the last few months.
Villagers said, NTPC is responsible for the plight
Residents of Selang, located on the Badrinath National Highway (NH-58), said they were scared. The crisis in Joshimath has added to their fear. The villagers are blaming NTPC’s Tapovan-Vishnugarh hydroelectric project for their plight. Selang resident Vijender Lal told PTI that the tunnels of the project have been built under the village. He claimed that a hotel located on the national highway near the mouth of one of these tunnels had collapsed in July 2021. The petrol pump near it was also partially damaged. Now the danger is hovering over the houses too.
Nine tunnels are built under the village
He claimed that nine tunnels of NTPC have been built under the village. A lot of explosives were used in the construction of these tunnels. This is how the foundation of the village has been damaged. Claiming that cracks have appeared in about 15 houses, the villager said that a drainage system is also being built 100 meters below the main settlement of the village. Cracks have started appearing towards the village even at a distance of a few meters from this.
NTPC has made our condition pathetic: Sarpanch
Van Panchayat Sarpanch of Selang village Shishupal Singh Bhandari said that the life of the villagers has become miserable due to the NTPC project. He said that many applications were sent for this, but no action was taken. He claimed that the damage started about a decade ago when NTPC started digging tunnels in the area. At that time, when people protested, NTPC got the houses insured by a private company. But, now when cracks are coming in the houses, he is refraining from giving compensation to the landlords.