A public interest litigation (PIL) petition has been filed with the Supreme Court, requesting intervention in the sinking of land in Uttarakhand's hill town of Joshimath.

Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati's petition asks the Court to intervene and provide immediate financial assistance and compensation to Joshimath residents.

The petition was heard on January 9 before Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud, who asked the lawyer to bring it up again tomorrow.

"This is an important matter related to Joshimath sinking," the lawyer submitted. "Mention it tomorrow when you are in the mentioning list," the CJI said.

Joshimathi, which has a population of around 17,000 people, is located in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district at a height of 1,800 metres above sea level. Joshimath has been declared disaster-prone after cracks in buildings and roads began to appear. According to NDTV, Joshimath has approximately 4,500 buildings, 610 of which have developed large cracks.