Over 5,000 Joshimath residents held a march on Friday demanding immediate and adequate compensation for their lost homes and expulsion of the NTPC, whose power project and tunnel they blame for the land subsidence.

Scores of residents had already been on a dharna under the banner of the Joshimath Bachao Sangharsh Samiti, formed since buildings and roads began developing cracks on January 2.

On Friday, the homeless residents — staying at temporary shelters and impatient at the delay in compensation that would allow them to buy houses outside the subsidence zone – threatened to intensify their protest.

“While we have already entered the third week of our dharna, the marches are warnings to the government that we can do more than mere sit-ins if they don’t take our demands seriously,” Atul Sati, one of the organisers of the procession, said.