Five-storey building collapses in Shimla district; locals blame four-lane project

A five-storeyed building collapsed on Monday morning in Chamyana gram panchayat in Shimla district. No lives were lost, as the building had been vacated on Sunday evening.

Several nearby structures have developed cracks, with owners claiming their buildings have also become vulnerable.

Ranjana Verma, the owner of the collapsed building, and other local residents are blaming the ongoing four-lane construction work below their houses for the incident.

Verma, who had been residing in the building for the last 15 years, said frequent landslides triggered by the construction work had left the structure at risk.

“I had informed the four-lane authorities that my building was in danger, but they didn’t pay any heed,” she said.

Yashpal Verma, vice-pradhan of Chamyana gram panchayat, also held the construction company and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) responsible for negligence.

“The panchayat had informed both the construction company and NHAI, verbally and in writing, about the threat to these buildings. They assured us the structures would be protected, but nothing was done,” he alleged.