Day after, Kullu admn tells pilgrims to avoid visiting Manikaran

Dushyant Singh Pundir and Abhinav Vashisht

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Kullu, August 19

As the threat of fresh boulders and landslides persists in Kullu, the district administration today directed the Gurdwara Manikaran Sahib management to vacate the premises and advised pilgrims to avoid visiting the shrine.

Seven pilgrims were killed and 11 others were injured when a boulder hit a serai at the gurdwara around 2pm yesterday. The Additional District Magistrate (ADM) said the gurdwara management would be responsible for any loss of life or property in case of any mishap if the complex was not vacated and action would be taken against those not complying with the orders.

Kullu SDM Rohit Rathore said a team of technical experts surveyed the region and had assessed that another boulder had loosened above the serai at the gurdwara. “The area where the boulder is likely to fall has been quarantined. Pilgrims have been advised to avoid visiting the gurdwara as the building is still under threat of being hit by another landslide and is unstable after the recent boulder hit,” he said.

Gurdwara authorities said they had already vacated the area of the serai under the loose strata of the hill and the main gurdwara was at a distance from the serai. “There is no threat to the main structure as it falls ahead of the Manikaran village,” said Ravinder Singh Bakshi, a sevadar at the gurdwara, adding the administration should take immediate steps to avoid any untoward incident.

According to the district administration, all 18 victims were from Rogla village of Sangrur district in Punjab. Condition of the two critically injured persons who were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, is reportedly stable, while the remaining nine are being treated at the Kullu Regional Hospital.

Two rooms on the top floor of the eight-storey building, where the victims were staying, have been completely damaged. Eyewitnesses say around 14 rooms were destroyed as the boulder plunged into the Parbati river.

Nearly 300 people were inside the building when the accident took place. Sevadars and local residents were the first to reach the spot and help those trapped in the debris.

Nearly 300 personnel of the NDRF, SSB and the ITBP rushed to the spot for rescue operation immediately after being informed.