At least 15 families were forced to evacuate a building in the Chalaunti area of Shimla on Friday night after visible cracks developed on it due to blasting done for the construction of a tunnel on the Kaithlighat-Dhalli four-lane road.
Cracks also developed on the road and a retaining wall and as a result, traffic coming from the Sanjauli-Dhalli bypass was halted. The construction of the four-lane road near the site was also halted.
As per the locals, the cracks grew more visible on Friday night after which 15 families, including the building owners as well as tenants, started evacuating it.
As a precautionary measure, people staying at a hotel as well as in an adjoining building were also evacuated.
Upon receiving information, district administration officials reached the spot and took stock of the situation. Deputy Commissioner, Shimla, Anupam Kashyap assured the affected families that the district administration would ensure all possible assistance to them.
The evacuation continued on Saturday as well as the families shifted their belongings from the building. Locals said that the families were forced to spend night on the road.
Outraged local residents blamed the incident on the negligence of National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials and the district administration and demanded compensation for their losses.
They also urged the administration that the construction of the four-lane road be halted immediately.
Pooja Sharma, daughter-in-law of the building owner, said that cracks started to appear in the building over a month and they informed the NHAI officials about it but no action was taken.
“Blasting for the construction of a tunnel is going on for over a month and we used to feel tremors. When cracks became more visible around three to four days ago, we gave an application to NHAI officials and the district administration that visited the building and gave us assurance,” she added.
Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh also visited the building and took stock of the situation. He said that the state government had made all arrangements of food and shelter for the affected families. He added that the affected families should be provided fair compensation.
The Deputy Commissioner yesterday constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the SDM, Shimla (Rural), to assess the damage caused to buildings due to the construction of the four-lane road. The committee had been directed to submit a report on its findings within a week.
Kashyap said that the compensation to the affected families would be provided on the basis of this report. Besides, a team of geologists was also conducting a study of the site to assess the damage caused to the buildings. The team had also been directed to submit its report within a week.
