Third major landslide in Nainital this month, officials to push for relocation of 17 families

On what the administration was doing to prevent further landslides in the vulnerable area, Nainital district magistrate Vinod Kumar Suman said the irrigation department was working on how the mountainside could be treated and strengthened to prevent further landslides in the area.

The third major landslide occurred in Nainital’s Hari Nagar near Raees Hotel on Monday, prompting authorities to push for relocation of 17 families living near the area.

On September 3 and September 8, landslide and boulder fall was witnessed on the same mountainside near Raees Hotel.(HT Photo for representation)

District magistrate Vinod Kumar Suman said after repeated landslides in the fragile area, the district administration has decided to relocate these 17 families to a safer place. “Notices have already been served to them in this regard,” he said.

On what the administration was doing to prevent further landslides in the vulnerable area, Suman said the irrigation department was working on how the mountainside could be treated and strengthened to prevent further landslides in the area.

Sub-district magistrate Abhishek Rohilla said the administration has made arrangements the families at the primary schools and inter college, where they can live safely. “We are keeping a close watch on the developments and efforts are being made to ensure that no one is hurt or affected in these landslides,” he said.

On September 3 and September 8, landslide and boulder fall was witnessed on the same mountainside near Raees Hotel. The chances of further landslides on this mountainside pose a threat to the nearby government inter-college and surrounding residential areas according to the locals.

Though most families from the area had been relocated to Durgapur area of Nainital by authorities, 17 families are still living near the landslide-prone area.

Madan Mohan Joshi, assistant engineer of the irrigation department, said around 7 am, overhanging part between landslide 1 and landslide 2 in Hari Nagar area caved in.

“Efforts are on to shift the 17 families living near the fragile slope to the nearby schools and inter-college,” he said.

In 2001, IIT-Roorkee conducted a landslide vulnerability study of these slopes following which a ₹15 crore treatment plan for the slopes was framed and approved by the state government.

Accordingly, a terraced wall treatment with drains for channelling the rainwater was carried out, but all that was washed away in the landslides.