Shankaracharya of Joshimath, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati on Saturday filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Supreme Court, seeking declaration of land subsidence incidents at Joshimath as National Disaster.
The petition further requested the Apex Court to intervene in the repair wok and sought direction to the National Disaster Management Authority to provide immediate relief to the residents of the area, who were facing extreme wrath of nature and danger to life.
The Shankaracharya urged the top court of the country to direct the state government for immediate measures to save this ancient city, which was home to famous pilgrimage sites such as Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib, from extinction.
Speaking to the media in Haridwar today, the Shankaracharya said that there were clear indications from many places that the ground was sinking, but no attention was paid to it.
He further said that for the last few days, many landslides have taken place, affecting around 500 houses.