Himachal: 15 families evacuated buildings develop cracks in Shimla
Tunnel construction work halted; panel formed to assess damage; affected families say blasting for tunnel construction led to cracks in buildings
Fifteen families were evacuated after two residential buildings and a hotel near an under-construction tunnel developed cracks in the Chalaunthi area of Shimla on Friday night, officials said on Saturday. The evacuation began Friday night when the cracks suddenly widened, triggering panic among residents. With no immediate alternative shelter, around 40 people from the affected families, including children and the elderly, were forced to spend several hours on the street with their belongings in freezing temperatures.
This comes barely 1.5 months after a 15-ft deep sinkhole opened up on the Dhalli-Bypass road in Bhattakufar, and six months after a five-storeyed residential building collapsed in Mathu Colony of Bhattakufar, with residents blaming the infrastructural projects being taken up by National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) contractors.
The affected people said blasting of rocks to bore a tunnel for the four-laning of a road between Bhattakufar and Chalaunthi led to cracks in their buildings. Occupants of the building in Chalaunthi claimed that minor cracks had first appeared a few days ago but the situation worsened rapidly on Friday.
State panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh visited the site on Saturday morning to assess the damage. He directed the district administration to ensure the safety of the perimeter and confirmed that temporary lodging and food arrangements have been made for the affected families. He added that an inquiry would be conducted to determine if construction activities had contributed to the structural failure. Directions have been issued to stop the blasting, he said.
Shimla deputy commissioner (DC) Anupam Kashyap has constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Shimla (rural) SDM to assess the damage to the houses amid the four-lane tunnel construction work in Chalaunthi. The committee has been asked to submit a detailed report to the DC within a week.
The DC said that after receiving information late at night, the administration evacuated the affected homes. “The administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected. Currently, the four-lane construction work has been completely halted,” he said.
A similar incident occurred less than 3km away at Mathu Colony in Shimla’s Bhattakufar area that led to a five-storeyed residential building collapsing following heavy rain on June 30, 2025. While the building had been evacuated hours earlier, residents blamed deep excavation by National Highway Authority of India contractors for rendering the foundation untenable.On November 22, 2025, a 15-ft deep sinkhole opened up on the Dhalli-Bypass road at Bhattakufar. A Class 8 student narrowly escaped death after falling into the pit while boarding a bus.
At the root of the crisis is the 2.5-km twin-tube tunnel being bored between Bhattakufar and Sanjauli. A December 2025 report by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) cited that vibrations from heavy blasting, coupled with existing leakages in water pipelines, have created cavities in the fragile phyllite rock mass. Following the GSI’s findings and the November road collapse, Shimla deputy commissioner Anupam Kashyap ordered an indefinite halt to all blasting and excavation work. The blasting permission for the executing firm was revoked, and a criminal case for negligence was registered against the contractors.
