Straight hill cutting triggers landslide, blocks Sanawar Gaon-Kasauli road

The Sanawar Gaon-Kasauli road was blocked for several hours on Saturday evening after huge boulders rolled down from an excavated hill, disrupting traffic and leaving commuters stranded.

The incident occurred due to straight cutting of the hill at nearly 90 per cent angle in violation of the norms, which prohibit cutting slopes beyond 45 degrees.

Kasauli SDM, who rushed to the spot, directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to clear the road. Vehicles were diverted through the narrow Sanawar-Sukhi Jori road, leading to a huge traffic chaos.

The excavation work on the hilly slope had been stopped after boulders started rolling down around 12.30 pm. However, by evening, a large portion of hill caved in, obstructing vehicular traffic.

As the incident occurred during the weekend, a large number of tourists travelling to Kasauli were caught in the traffic jam for hours.

The realtor had been excavating the hill since months by erecting metal sheets along the road which had become considerably narrower and posed traffic issues.

The SDM said PWD staff was pressed into service, and vehicular traffic was restored around 2.30 am on Sunday.

He said the PWD had earlier served several notices on the realtor for obstructing the road with metal sheets, but these went unheeded.

The police have been directed to initiate legal action against the realtor, while the PWD will issue a fresh notice for obstructing the road.