Centre denies connection between sinking Joshimath and NTPC tunnel projects: Report

Joshimath is a major military and administrative hub. Millions of devotees cross this garrison town each year to reach Badrinath

The Union government has denied allegations by environmentalists and geologists that the tunnel created for National Thermal Power Corporation's 520 MW Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project in Uttarakhand may have caused the sinking of Joshimath, Hindustan Times reported on January 14.

The Union Power Ministry said the NTPC tunnel does not under pass the town, and the sub-surface seepage erosion caused by natural drainage, occasional heavy rainfalls and seismic activities and rising construction work has caused the sinking, according to the letter seen by HT drafted by the ministry.

Also Read: Not just Joshimath, these six towns in Uttarakhand are also at the risk of sinking

"The letter has not been sent yet. It is correct that we have drafted a letter but we are sharing it first with the home ministry, and then will share it with the Uttarakhand government," a senior official in the power ministry said, seeking anonymity, as quoted by HT.

The ministry added that the tunnel starts at a horizontal distance of 1.1km from the boundary of the sinking town and is 1.1km deep from the ground level. The ministry claimed that the tunnel digging and making process was done using Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) that caused no disturbance to the surrounding rock mass, it said.

Also Read: Joshimath residents recount tales of agony

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

"The land subsidence in Joshimath is a very old issue… the construction of the tunnel in rock mass at a depth of around 1 km causes no impact on the surface ground, including flora and fauna. There are no signs of sinking around the tunnel alignment at the overground surface," the letter said, as reviewed by HT.

Local residents claimed that the NTPC's project is the main cause of land subsidence in Joshimath due to its "non-stop digging and underground blasting to dig a tunnel."

A senior environment ministry official corroborated the power ministry's claims and said, "the (Joshimath) crisis has no links with the NTPC hydropower project," as quoted by HT.

"We have absolutely no doubt that NTPC's tunnelling has suddenly exacerbated land subsidence... Restoration work in the tunnel started after the Rishiganga deluge... This (crisis) is certainly linked to the restoration works," said Mallika Bhanot, a member of Ganga Ahvaan, as per the report.