Inner Akhara Bazaar residents urge CM to act on landslide threat

Alarmed by recurring landslides and worsening slope instability in the Math area overlooking Inner Akhara Bazaar, residents have made a direct appeal to the Chief Minister, calling for urgent intervention. In a detailed memorandum submitted through the Deputy Commissioner of Kullu on Monday, they warned that unchecked construction, poor sewerage, faulty drainage and administrative neglect have combined to create a perilous situation threatening thousands of lives in both Math and Inner Akhara Bazaar.

The memorandum, signed on behalf of affected families, lays out 13 pressing demands. At the top of the list is a call for the Jal Shakti Department to conduct a technical survey of the sewerage and drainage systems, particularly along the vulnerable cliff edges, and to implement corrective measures without delay. Residents also sought demolition of unsafe encroachments, strict penalties for households discharging waste into the Khaned and proper channelisation of runoff water along the Math-Sultanpur road.

For long-term safety, the memorandum proposes a ban on fresh construction across Math and the stretch leading to Bekhali Temple, with the entire zone declared a “No-Construction Green Belt”. Residents also urged prompt removal of debris from collapsed structures, warning that such waste material worsens erosion. The Forest Department, they added, must step in with soil testing and afforestation drives to stabilise the fragile slopes.

Equally urgent, residents pressed for the release of long-pending relief aid — Rs 10,000 in rent support for displaced families and Rs 70,000 in compensation for households that lost personal belongings. They also demanded a joint technical survey by geologists and IIT experts to chalk out permanent solutions and prevent the area from being officially declared a Red Zone.