Mcleodganj connectivity crisis: Massive landslide near St John’s Church blocks main road

A massive landslide struck Forsythganj near the historic Church of St John today, completely blocking the main road to Mcleodganj and plunging the region into a connectivity crisis. With the short-cut already collapsed recently, the only connectivity left is the narrow Thandi Sarak heading towards Naddi, which can only accommodate light vehicles.

Thousands of residents in nearby villages like Dharamkot and Bhagsunag will also be affected. The situation has become severe, as McLeodganj — home to the Dalai Lama, whom many people from across the globe come to visit — has been cut off due to the landslide, leaving visitors stranded. Local emergency services are on high alert.

Vivek Kumar, assistant engineer for National Highway-503, the agency responsible for the road’s maintenance, confirmed that a JCB machine has been dispatched to the landslide site. Speaking to The Tribune, he admitted that  he was unaware of the full scale of the damage but remained hopeful that debris could be cleared soon to restore at least partial traffic movement.