Cracks appear in 6 houses after land sinks at Baddi village; residents shifted

In another case of land subsidence, at least six houses were vacated after cracks appeared at Jamun Da Dohra village in Baddi sub-division on Friday evening.

“Nearly 30-35 people, hit by the devastation, have been given refuge in adjoining safer houses. Their belongings were also being shifted in the presence of the Tehsildar and patwari concerned, who were overseeing the rescue and relief operations,” said Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma.

Two houses were completely damaged as the buildings sunk in by several inches due to land subsidence, giving no time to the inmates to save their belongings.

Those affected are Ram Kishen, Bhagwan Dass, Ram Gopal, Geeta Ram, Sarvjeet, Puran Chand and Lal Chand.

The village is located in Bawasni gram panchayat of the Doon Assembly segment that was earlier ravaged by the rain fury in 2023. Though the village had then seen minimal damage, six houses have now been rendered unsafe as cracks were widening with each passing hour. Incessant rain led to muck and boulders, flowing down from a hill, thus damaging the houses. Villages feared that more houses could be damaged if rain continued to cast its fury.

The Revenue Officer said villagers noticed the cracks around 3 pm in the afternoon, and by 4 pm, the situation became precarious, forcing the villagers to shift their belongings. They had found refuge in the houses of their kin in the same village. The revenue officials were making arrangements for their safety while assessing the loss. They arrived around 4 pm soon after receiving information from the villagers.

Four villages of Ramshehar were also hit by land subsidence in this monsoon.