JOSHIMATH: Some of their tears dissolved in the steady drizzle as they stood in the cold, openly sobbing and singing songs of the pain of displacement.

Residents of Joshimath have been saying they don't want to move and that if the government is serious about their problem, it needs to find a "permanent solution".Hundreds of residents gathered at the Joshimath tehsil premises on Wednesday, as they sang a Garhwali composition penned by local artiste Jagbir Singh and praying to lord Badrinath to save them from their plight and not make them leave their birthplace.1/20These photos capture the anger and helplessness in JoshimathPreviousNextShow Captions<p>A woman sits beside a cracked wall of her house at Joshimath in Chamoli</p><p>Locals protest against the demolision of the unsafe hotels and houses after cracks appeared at the landslide affected area of Joshimath</p><p>As many as 131 families have been shifted to the temporary relief centres so far with 37 more evacuated on Tuesday</p><p>A resident gets emotional prior to leaving her house that have been marked unsafe by the district administration</p><p>Women break down prior to leaving their home that have been marked unsafe by the district administration</p><p>People affected by the gradual sinking of Joshimath rest at a shelter house after cracks appeared in their houses</p><p>At least 86 houses in the area have been demarcated as an unsafe zone</p><p>People shift their belongings after their houses were declared to be in the unsafe zones in view of the continued land subsidence</p><p>Hotels lean into each other as a result of the continued land subsidence</p><p>Located 82km southwest of Joshimath in Chamoli district, parts of Karnaprayag — one of the ‘panch prayags’ of Alaknanda, situated at the confluence of the river and Pindar — are “sinking” too</p><p>Repair work under way following collapse of a wall in Joshimath area</p><p>Cracks appear on stairs in Joshimath area of Chamoli district.

The town has been declared a disaster-prone area after large cracks appeared in homes and on roads</p><p>Cracks appear on the road as the result of continued land subsidence in Joshimath</p><p>Locals outside the hotel where cracks have appeared as a result of continuous land subsidence</p><p>A man walks on a pathway of a building damaged due to land subsidence in Joshimath</p><p>Workers disconnect the electricity connection at the landslide affected area of Joshimath</p><p>SDRF and Nehru Institute of Mountaineering personnel inspect an area as Uttarakhand administration prepares for demolition of hotels and houses severely affected by land subsidence</p><p>Stairs of a building are severely affected due to cracks</p><p>Locals protest against the government's decision to demolish the hotels after cracks appeared at the landslide affected area of Joshimath</p>People from Mana, which is the last Indian village on the India-China Border, also visited Joshimath on Wednesday in solidarity with the town's people.

"We are people of snow.

How will we live in the plains? We can't live anywhere else.

The government needs to come up with a permanent solution to save our town," said Pitambar Singh Molpha, pradhan of Mana village, around 4.5km ahead of Badrinath.

Many people from Mana migrate to Joshimath during winter and spend around six months in the town.Even though residents are being assured of shelter and food by the district administration, most people, especially those who were born here, are not convinced.

"It's not a question of money or compensation.

We'll be uprooted forever from our land.

Our forefathers have lived in this town for hundreds of years, in the harshest of weather conditions, but never abandoned it in search of comfort.

Our lord Narsingh will protect us, don't push us out," said Narayani Devi, one of the hundreds of women participating in the protest.In Uttarakhand, there is a tradition of local artistes portraying the pain of people, especially caused by natural disasters, through songs and poems.WatchEverybody should believe that Joshimath will be saved: Uttarakhand CM Dhami