PWD guest house demolition starts

Dehradun: Demolition of the Public Works Department (PWD) guest house in Manohar Bagh municipal ward of Joshimath started on Thursday morning. The structure is the first government building to have been put in the “demolish category” by the district administration. Bulldozers reached the double-storey guesthouse, which had cracks running from floor to ceiling, on Thursday morning. The first floor was taken down first, followed by the ground floor. Chamoli district magistrate (DM) Himanshu Khuranna said that “damage assessment” of all buildings is underway and once that is done, the exact number of “unusable buildings” will become clear.About two more hotels dangerously leaning towards each other, the CM said they will be brought down if the CBRI team thinks that is necessary. Meanwhile, the “mechanical dismantling” of two hotels—Mount View and Malari Inn—is currently underway under the supervision of CBRI expert team.