HC allows NTPC to carry out work in Joshimath tunnel with ‘restrictions’

Dehradun: A division bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Ravindra Maithani of Uttarakhand high court on Tuesday permitted National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) to carry out civil work in the tunnel at Joshimath with certain restrictions. The court said no explosives and heavy machinery would be used for maintenance work and cleaning of the tunnel.
The HC has fixed the next hearing on August 29. Significantly, local residents see the tunnel construction as the main reason for the subsidence in Joshimath, forcing them to take shelter in temporary houses after leaving their own homes which have developed cracks. Incidentally, all civil and maintenance work came to a standstill since the January subsidence in Joshimath. NTPC had filed an application in the court to resume maintenance work "for treating the tunnel to avoid any possible mishap and to strengthen the security of the area". Pankul Sharma