Observing that everything important in the country can’t come to it, the Supreme Court on Tuesday posted for January 16 a plea relating to the sinking of land in Joshimath resulting in loss of property and dislocation of normal life, as it (top court) declined an urgent listing of the matter.

Further observing that there are democratically elected institutions to look into the situation arising from land sinking and the consequent losses in Joshimath, a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha posted the plea by one Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati for January 16.

“Everything which is important need not come to the apex court. There are democratically elected institutions working on it,” the top court said while declining an urgent listing of the plea.

Yesterday (January 9) the court had asked the lawyer for petitioner Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati to follow the due procedure and mention the matter today (January 10).

Seeking to declare the sinking of the areas in Joshimath as a national disaster, the petitioner Swami Saraswati has sought immediate relief and compensation to affected people, and a halt to the construction activities at Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Electric.

Urging the apex court to intervene to provide succour to the affected people who have suffered the loss of property, the petitioner Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati has sought declaration that the incident is a national disaster and a direction to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)to actively support the residents of Joshimath faced with a tough situation.

The petitioner Swami has sought immediate financial assistance and compensation to the people who have lost their houses and lands on account of land sliding, land sinking, subsidence resulting in the cracking of the houses. properties.

Blaming the unchecked urbanisation, construction activities, mushrooming of industrial units, and the exploitation of natural resources by the centre and Uttarakhand government, the petitioner Swami Saraswati has sought direction to Direct the respondents to “immediately stop construction and building work of the Tapovan Vishnugad Hydro Electric Project tunnel and not to begin again till the high level committee of geologists, hydrologists and engineers constituted by this court.”