Committee and subsequent study to determine cause of calamities in Himachal Pradesh; CM orders

The government has set up a committee to research the causes and effects of landslides in and around the area in an effort to address the ongoing problem of landslides in the town of Shimla. The declaration comes in reaction to growing worries about the safety of locals and infrastructure as a result of landslides, which have been a persistent problem in the area.

The government will conduct a study on the root causes of these persistent issues by including the Geological Survey of India, Central Building Research Institute Roorkee, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi, National Institute of Technology Hamirpur.

The coordinator of this committee has been named as Dr. SS Randhawa, the principal scientific officer of the Himachal Pradesh Council for Science, Technology, and Environment (HIMCOSTE).

 Puneet Guleria, a state geologist, officials from the departments of Public Works, Jal Shakti, and Shimla Municipal Corporation, as well as a representative from the Shimla deputy commissioner’s office, are also members of the committee.

The committee has been given a week to deliver a thorough report to the government. This paper will be an essential source of data for the creation of a solid policy intended to reduce and avoid the catastrophic effects of landslides in Shimla.

The government is unwavering in its commitment to protecting the citizens and the area’s infrastructure from the grave threat presented by landslides, according to a notification released by Onkar Sharma, senior secretary of the revenue department. The National Disaster Management Authority’s studies, which show that a sizable area of 38,000 sq km in the state is vulnerable to landslides, stress the necessity for preventative measures. Concerning 7,800 sq km of this region are thought to be highly vulnerable.

Shimla has historically had a number of significant landslides that have destroyed infrastructure and caused fatalities. A noteworthy incident occurred in 1971 when a landslide close to the current IGMC destroyed a six-story structure. A landslide that occurred in 2017 close to Mehli Shiv Temple and the collapse of a multi-story structure in the Raw Valley region in 2021 are more recent occurrences.

The committee’s research tries to explain the causes of these natural calamities

The committee’s research tries to explain the causes of these natural calamities. Long suspected as major factors are deforestation and overly intensive alteration of the topography in the area.

Several Shimla houses begin to crack, as per government and other news sources as is the cases in regions like Shimla, Mandi, Solan and Kullu. They are predicted to experience land sinkage causing endangerment to several lives and forcing natives to leave.

Several structures are still in danger as Shimla struggles with the rainy season. Numerous homes have developed cracks, roadways are subsiding, and even the lumber business has seen subsidence over time. Urban Development and Industries Directorate has been keeping a close eye on the circumstance. Although landslides have been a recurring problem for Shimla, the creation of this group marks a big step forward in understanding and resolving this problem.

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