Owners of ‘unsafe’ houses in Solan issued vacation notice

To avert loss of human lives, the Solan Municipal Corporation (MC) has issued a notice to seven house owners to vacate their buildings that have been declared unsafe.

A committee comprising the Joint Commissioner, Planning Officer, SDO, junior engineer and a patwari had examined these buildings and declared them unsafe. It also examined those buildings where tenants were reluctant to evacuate despite their dilapidated condition.

Solan Mayor Usha Sharma said, “Notices have been served on six to seven house owners to vacate the unsafe buildings located in the Upper and Lower Bazaar. In case they fail to do so, civic body will demolish them while levying the charges on the owners. The measure has been necessitated as these buildings are in a dilapidated condition and can cave in anytime.”

“Apart from private structures, civic body will also demolish three buildings owned by them. These include shops located in the Children’s Park where a printing press was operational, besides another where wood was stacked. Two abandoned structures in the Jawahar Park as well as an old office of the Tourism Department were among such structures declared unsafe for habitation,” said Ekta Kapta, MC Commissioner, Solan.

Solan figures among six districts that had recorded excess rain in June, thus taking the state’s overall monthly average to the 21st highest since 1901.

In August 2023, around 108 families were affected, with 30 concrete houses being fully damaged and 50 being partially damaged, along with 52 kutcha houses facing partial damage,in the Shamti area after 500-m hill had eroded leading to inundation of the structures lying below it.