Himachal: After landslides, Kullu residents seek construction ban

The residents of Inner Akhada Bazaar have also urged the forest department to carry out soil testing and advise and provide adequate plants with afforestation drives

Living under fear after being hit by two massive landslides in just two days which left nine persons dead, destroyed three buildings and posed threat to about 250 houses in Inner Akhada Bazaar of Kullu district, residents have sought district administration’s intervention for urgent remedial measures for Math area and Inner Akhara Bazar of Kullu, such as ban on construction and declaration of no-construction green zone.

Residents handing over a memorandum to the deputy commissioner in Kullu. (Aqil Khan /HT)

The residents said seepage from Math area, atop the hill, led to landslides. “In the Math area and its adjoining slopes, drainage and sewerage facilities are either non-existent or in ruins. With no proper rainwater channels, monsoon downpour gushes unchecked down the hillside, scouring the soil and sending debris hurtling into the narrow lanes of Inner Akhara Bazar,” they said.

In a memorandum submitted to deputy commissioner Torul S Raveesh, the residents have urged the administration to get a joint technical survey done by geologists and IIT experts to suggest a permanent solution. They also want accountability of the municipal council and TCP officials fixed and explain how multi-storey buildings were approved in this fragile area while seeking immediate halting of ongoing large constructions.