Himachal PWD plans to stabilise sinking Ridge in Shimla

The state Public Works Department has chalked out a plan to stabilise sinking portions of The Ridge in two phases, an official said.

The state Public Works Department has chalked out a plan to stabilise sinking portions of The Ridge in two phases, an official said.

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The Ridge has been sinking for several months on three sides — outside Gaiety Theatre, near Lakkar Bazar and DAV School.

Shimla PWD superintending engineer (SE) Suresh Kapoor said the sinking portions of The Ridge will be stabilised under the Shimla Smart City project.

“In the first phase, the sinking portion outside Gaiety Theatre will be stabilised with an RCC (reinforced cement concrete) structure at an estimated cost of ₹8 crore,” Kapoor said. “We are waiting for a technical report from the IIT-Roorkee to know whether the construction of an RCC structure outside Gaiety Theatre is feasible or not.”

Designs for the second phase are yet to be prepared, he said. In the 1980s, too, a similar problem was faced in the area where Padam Dev Complex is situated now. An RCC structure was constructed in 1988-89 during the tenure of Shimla’s first mayor Adarsh Kumar Sood.

Kapoor said the work on phase I will start within a month of getting necessary approvals. Responding to a query , the PWD official said, “Our main aim is to stabilise the sinking Ridge. After constructing RCC structures, we may consider using the space beneath for use on the lines of PD Complex if the National Green Tribunal and other institutions approve.”

Kapoor added that there was a possibility that the statue of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee may be built over the RCC structure outside Gaiety Theatre.