Slopes of doom: Kullu’s Inner Akhara Bazaar on the edge

The slopes above Inner Akhara Bazaar in Kullu, once regarded as protective hillsides, are today a looming danger. Since September 2, repeated landslides from the Math area have claimed nine lives and flattened homes, leaving a trail of grief in one of the town’s oldest neighbourhoods. For the residents, the disaster is not an accident of nature. It is the direct result of unchecked, unplanned and unauthorised construction that has destabilised the fragile hillside.

What hurts them most is the silence of the very institutions meant to safeguard the town. The Town and Country Planning (TCP) department and the Municipal Council (MC) have been accused of watching passively as concrete keeps crawling higher up the slope, erasing natural drainage channels and eroding stability.

If the hills are cracking, the civic infrastructure is crumbling too. In the Math area and its adjoining slopes, drainage and sewerage facilities are either non-existent or in ruins. With no proper rainwater channels, monsoon downpours gush unchecked down the hillside, scouring the soil and sending debris hurtling into the narrow lanes of Inner Akhara Bazar. The drainage along the Math road is equally neglected, turning every heavy shower into a catastrophe in waiting.

Residents allege that both the Jal Shakti Department and the MC have been shirking responsibilities for years, allowing the hazard to deepen until tragedy became inevitable.

The human anxiety is palpable. Locals — Rajeev, Atishaye, Rohit, Rajan, Ankur, Ajay and Gopal — have spoken in one voice, demanding immediate safeguards. Their foremost appeal: erect a strong protection wall along the vulnerable stretches of the slope. Beyond that, they have suggested plantation drives and the installation of check crates to stabilise the loose soil and absorb excess rainwater. Some have even recommended the use of advanced techniques such as ErdoX fencing, a proven measure in other landslide-prone regions to trap boulders and mudslides before they can strike homes and shops.

Equally urgent is the demand to demolish unauthorised structures that have mushroomed across the Math hillside. These encroachments, residents argue, not only overload the already weakened slope but also block natural drainage channels, diverting runoff into dangerous directions. The community wants the administration to cut water and power supply to such buildings to discourage further violations.

Senior resident Vivek stresses that technical fixes will not be enough unless matched with accountability. He insists that clear deadlines must be set for departments, with progress monitored stringently. If delays or negligence result in further damage, he says, responsibility should be fixed on officials who failed to act in time.

The unfolding crisis in Inner Akhara Bazaar is more than a local tragedy. It is a warning about what happens when greed and negligence outweigh ecological wisdom. Kullu, a town steeped in history and celebrated for its culture and tourism, risks losing its heritage spaces to disasters triggered by human folly.

Unless swift and coordinated steps are taken, restoring ecological balance, enforcing building laws and repairing civic systems, the very slopes that once protected Inner Akhara Bazaar will remain a constant threat, turning one of Kullu’s proudest neighbourhoods into a permanent danger zone.