Days before this year's Char Dham Yatra started, the state government had set a daily limit of 47,500 pilgrims for the Yatra, which it withdrew in the face of protests. Urgent action is needed to reverse the existing, destructive model of over-tourism.

Uttarakhand’s Joshimath has been in news for its sinking land which is posing a threat to the local residents. The collective anxieties of the residents peaked yesterday after fresh cracks surfaced. The protesters called for a general strike and demonstrations against the allegedly callous attitude of the state government towards the crisis. On December 4, Gaon Connection had published a detailed report on the issue and warned of an impending disaster.

Joshimath in Uttarakhand has both religious and tourist significance. But several villages in the area are slowly subsiding, say the local villagers and scientists who have studied the region. Houses have developed cracks making it highly unsafe for people to live in them. Maximum subsidence is observed in the wards of Ravigram, Gandhinagar and Sunil, and thousands of people may be displaced.