Suffered massive damage last year, Shimla’s Krishna Nagar ward yet not out of harm’s way

Shimla, June 28

The threat of an impending disaster looms on the Krishna Nagar ward in Shimla as the Municipal Corporation is yet to take concrete steps to safeguard it during the monsoon. Last year, the Krishna Nagar ward had suffered immense damage due to torrential rains. Two persons were killed while around eight buildings in the ward had collapsed. Besides, more than eight houses were declared unsafe. All types of private and government construction works in the ward were stopped for a year in view of the threat of landslides.

The Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) has decided to get the ward surveyed by the scientists of Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee. Municipal Commissioner Bhupinder Attri says that a team of CBRI experts will conduct a scientific study of the strata in the ward, prepare a report and submit it to the SMC. Meanwhile, the monsoon hit the state yesterday but enough preparations were yet to be made to safeguard the Krishna Nagar ward from landslides in the event of heavy rainfall.

Recently, Krishna Nagar councillor Bittu Kumar had raised the matter of the work being done to safeguard the ward in the monthly House meeting. He said at the meeting that the SMC had taken no concrete steps for the safety of the ward.

He said that many houses in the ward were vulnerable and could collapse if torrential rains occur this year, too.