Concrete gamble Building skyscrapers on shaky ground

The majestic Dhauladhar ranges in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra Valley, stretching from Bir to Shahpur, are under siege — not from nature, but from reckless human ambition. Towering mountains once clothed in pine and oak are now scarred with haphazard construction. Slopes too steep for safety are being carved into concrete platforms for multi-storey apartments, hotels and shopping complexes. All this in a region that sits squarely in seismic zones IV and V, where tremors are not a question of if but when.

Kangra already carries the scars of one of India’s deadliest earthquakes. In April 1905, the valley shook violently with a quake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. Nearly 20,000 people perished, over a lakh buildings were flattened and entire towns like Palampur, Kangra, Dharamshala and Mcleodganj were reduced to rubble. Landslides tore through the hillsides, cattle were wiped out in tens of thousands and damage was felt as far as Punjab and Uttarakhand. That catastrophe remains etched in history as a grim reminder of nature’s fury.

Yet, despite this tragic legacy, the lessons remain unlearnt. State agencies, fully aware of the fragile geology of the Dhauladhars, have turned a blind eye to rampant illegal construction. Residential and commercial projects sprout unchecked, often without soil stability tests, load-bearing studies or adherence to earthquake-resistant norms. Astonishingly, while the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal have repeatedly warned the state to rein in such violations and restrict high-rise designs, successive governments have instead diluted building laws. In fact, clearance has even been given for 20-storey structures — an invitation to disaster in a zone that can barely handle three.

The recent floods and landslides in Himachal serve as another warning shot. Hundreds of buildings collapsed or were swept away, many of them raised illegally on riverbeds and unstable slopes in blatant violation of Town and Country Planning rules. Instead of accountability, leniency prevails. Offences are compounded, violations overlooked and guilty officials rarely punished.

Experts at the Seismology Department of Roorkee University have for years recommended earthquake-proof construction in the Kangra valley. Their warnings, however, gather dust on government shelves. In the absence of strict regulation, the valley is steadily transforming into a high-risk zone where structures may topple like a “pack of cards” when the next big tremor strikes.

The Dhauladhar ranges have long stood as guardians of the valley. But if the current frenzy of unplanned construction continues, Kangra may be staring at a future where its mountains echo not with the chants of monasteries or the laughter of tourists — but with the cries of another tragedy.