Kiratpur-Manali 4-laning: Hill-cutting poses danger to 35 houses in three Mandi villages

Dipender Manta

Mandi, November 28

Deep cutting of hills for the four-lane Kiratpur-Manali road project is posing a serious threat to 35 houses at Thalaut, Nagni and Fagu villages in the district.

A few houses at Thalaut village have developed huge cracks in walls, making these unsafe to reside.

Despite a threat to life, many villagers are still living in these houses. The affected villagers alleged that due to the unscientific deep cutting of the hillside at Thalaut village, the three villages had become prone to landslides. They held the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) responsible for it.

Bhagat Ram, an affected villager, said, “The walls in my house have developed huge cracks. The district administration has asked me to vacate the house immediately without any delay because it is unsafe for my family to reside here.”

Like Bhagat Ram, other villagers are living under the fear of displacement if the authorities concerned fail to take corrective steps to save the villages from the threat of landslides.

Dev Raj of Thalaut village said, “People are spending sleepless nights after their houses developed cracks. The administration has promised us to conduct a survey by a team of geologists to assess the threat to these villages.” “We want compensation and rehabilitation for the affected families and timely action to save these villages,” he added.

Talking to The Tribune, Shyam Lal, vice-pradhan, Aut gram panchayat, said, “Landslide threat is looming over 35 houses of three villages at Thalaut. The houses in the area have developed cracks, making it prone to landslides. Recently, Mandi Sadar SDM Ritika Jindal and ADM Ashwani Kumar visited the affected villagers to review the situation. So far, the team of geological scientists haven’t visited the site to assess the situation.”

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Arindam Chaudhari said the district administration was concerned about the safety of the villagers. “Four unsafe houses have been vacated in the area. Also, shelter has been provided to the affected families on the Hanogi Mata temple premises,” he added.

The DC further said he had written a letter to the State Geologist and Revenue Secretary to visit the site to assess the situation so that action could be taken accordingly.