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‘Land subsidence’: Residents consider relocation after 150 houses in Shimla village develop cracks
Residents said they had collectively spent around ₹7-8 lakh from their own pockets to improve drainage and divert wastewater
Owing to land subsidence, residents of Shakrala village on the outskirts of Shimla live in fear as around 150 houses in the area have developed cracks, raising safety concerns and leading many residents to consider relocation.
The residents have urged the administration to conduct a detailed soil and geological assessment and put in place an effective engineering and drainage solution as the area for over two years has been witnessing subsidence of land which gets aggravated in monsoon.
Officials in the know blame the surface water, unplanned and haphazard construction that is adversely affecting the stability. “For the last two to three years, the land has been continuously sinking. Cracks keep appearing again and again. We repair them, but after some time the cracks return. We still do not know the exact reason whether it is because of the four-lane construction, rainwater from the roofs or wastewater from toilets,” said Seema Verma, resident of Shakrala.
Another resident Ram Krishna Sharma said, “We have already informed the administration and a team had also visited earlier, but so far no concrete result has come out about why the land is repeatedly sinking.” He added that he has spent around ₹2.5 lakh to ₹3 lakh on repairing his house, but the cracks continued to reappear.
Another resident, Gulab Singh, said “We are definitely scared. People in the family say that we should shift from here, but what can we do? We have invested everything here. As long as we can stay, we are staying.”
He added, “The cracks had started earlier, but after the four-lane cutting work began here, they doubled. The wastewater coming out of our houses is also a problem. We cannot say that the four-lane construction alone is responsible, but after the work started, the cracks became much wider. Heavy rain has made the situation worse.”
Priya Chauhan, another local resident, pointed out, “The main reason for the cracks in the houses is the wastewater that is flowing openly here. Rainwater is also flowing openly. Since the excavation work for the four-lane project started two to three years ago, the cracks have doubled,”
She said residents had collectively spent around ₹7-8 lakh from their own pockets to improve drainage and divert wastewater. “We have spent at least ₹7 to 8 lakh ourselves to manage the wastewater and rainwater. In some houses, we have installed pipelines and started diverting the water, but many houses are still not connected,” she said.
“I am increasingly worried about the safety of my children and myself due to the ever-widening cracks in the building and across the entire area. I am now considering moving house. Similar cracks are visible throughout the locality, making it difficult even to walk on the paths. The government must take effective steps to resolve this issue,” added Prakash, a resident of Shakrala.
“People are worried about the land subsidence. We have spent ₹8 lakh to lay pipes for proper water drainage. The state government should have experts conduct a survey to determine the causes of the sinking,” added Seema Verma, resident of Shakrala.
Responding to the concerns, Manjeet Sharma, sub-divisional magistrate Shimla Rural, said, “We had received the complaint regarding the same after which I had visited the village. I have submitted a report in this regard.”
“The matter is in our notice and we will be taking preventive measures. We will also get the soil testing done to ascertain the cause of land subsidence. The land subsidence has aggravated in the last few months and is affecting the entire hill,” said Anirudh Singh, panchayat raj minister and MLA from Kasumpati constituency.
