16 houses collapse in Solan

Solan, July 12

More than 16 houses in the Shamti area of the Solan Municipal Corporation (MC) collapsed while 17 others located in its precincts were declared unsafe today with the appearance of cracks.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Ajay Yadav requested the state geologist to inspect the area as the residents said a deep sinkhole had developed in the area, which was posing threat to the nearby houses. The area was facing erosion of the land below.

The area was inundated on Tuesday night after a 500 m hill caved in and large quantities of muck and boulders flowed down in the nearby buildings.

Water was seen flowing down from the hill on the Solan-Rajgarh road as helpless residents vacated their dwellings and made arrangements to shift to safer places. Fissures were developing in the houses due to seepage of water from the hill behind them.

The residents were in a pitiable state as they lost their belongings. They pleaded before the state government to grant them land elsewhere as this land was continuously sliding and had been rendered unfit for habitation.

The staff of the Public Works Department was trying to break a big boulder, which had obstructed the road and efforts were on to arrange bigger machines to break it.

Kavita Thakur, SDM, Solan, said 16 houses had collapsed yesterday while 17 others had been declared vulnerable in Shamti and its precincts.

Local MLA and Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr DR Shandil, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, Deputy Commissioner and officials of the departments concerned visited the affected area and took stock of the situation.

A team of MC officials led by Commissioner Zaffar Iqbal also visited the affected areas in Shamti like Kiar where a family had lost its dwelling.

Dr Rajiv Bindal, state BJP president, who also visited the area, said an unprecedented situation has hit the residents of the Shamti area who had constructed their houses after taking all precautions.

Shamti residents seek land elsewhere

Residents were in a pitiable state as they lost their belongings. They pleaded before the state government to grant them land elsewhere as this land was continuously sliding and had been rendered unfit for habitation.