Kullu MC ordered to resume work to set up drainage in Math area

Three months after twin landslides claimed 10 lives in the Inner Akhara Bazaar area in Kullu, the survivors find themselves battling systemic neglect. The residents are running from pillar to post not only for rehabilitation but also for the removal of precariously-hanging debris threatening their ancestral properties.

The aggrieved residents met the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) yesterday, who assured them of addressing their grievances. The SDM ordered the Kullu Municipal Council (MC) to resume the work to lay drainage in the Math area and promised a personal visit to the site. For the traumatised community, these words ring hollow against the backdrop of three months of inaction. Sunil, who lost his house and son, encapsulates the broken promises and reveals that even the assured monthly rent relief of Rs 10,000 remains elusive in the absence of a notification. For Neelam, whose ancestral home was partially damaged, has also got only assurances and no tangible action.

Beneath this immediate crisis lies a deeper, man-made fault line. Residents like Suresh point the finger at reckless urban planning in the adjacent Math area. He alleges the MC had approved numerous houses without adequate drainage, forcing occupants to discharge water into the open or overloaded sewerage chambers. This overflow, he argues, seeps into Khaned hills, destabilising them and causing landslides. His warning is stark: Without the construction of proper drainage on both sides of the Math area, another calamity is inevitable. He holds the government, administration and the MC responsible for the disaster and even suggests penalising Math residents, who obstruct the drainage work.

Sanjeev calling for a ban on further construction in the Math area and regulation of the number of tenants based on the area’s carrying capacity. He demands stringent action, including cutting utility connections of defaulters and removing encroachments.

As the winter rain approaches, the scene in Inner Akhara Bazaar is one of cruel helplessness.