With building collapsed her sole source of income

Surrounded by her relatives and neighbours, Ranjna Verma takes a painful look at the debris of her collapsed building. Minutes later, she walks back with a heavy heart, trying to hold back her tears. “The building was my only support, I had put my every penny into it,” she said.

Apart from being a source of steady income, the building also housed the memories of her late husband, who had constructed it a little over a decade ago. “I am totally broken from inside,” she says as she looks for a place to sit down.

Despite going through a deep personal trauma, Ranjna is keenly aware of the looming threat to other buildings in the colony and wants the authorities to take serious measures to save them. “I’ve suffered a massive loss, at least other buildings, which are endangered, should be saved,” she said. About five to six buildings in Manthu Colony, in Chamiyana gram panchayat close to Shimla, have become vulnerable and people have covered these with tarpaulins to prevent water seepage.

Ranjna saw her building inch closer to collapse every day over the last two years. She fought hard to save it, but could not succeed. “My building collapsed because of the four lane work going on at the base of the hill. The NHAI and the construction company kept digging up the hill, causing several landslides. I spoke to them several time, and only got empty assurances in return,” she said. “My husband was an engineer. He had constructed the house with due diligence. It collapsed only because of the deep cutting of the hill,” she said.

Her contention is supported by almost every resident of the colony. Narmada Thakur, whose house has also come under threat, said the problem arose since the construction work for the four-lane started about two years back. “It was such a scenic location when we bought the land here. But since the four-lane work started, trees have tilted, and the land is subsiding. We made several requests to the authorities concerned over the last two years, but all our pleas fell on deaf ears,” she said.

Gram panchayat pradhan Rita Chauhan demanded that the four-lane work should be halted at least until the monsoon was over to ensure there’s no further damage anywhere. “The building has collapsed due to the deep cutting at the base of the hill, and the administration should take strict action against the company and compensate the people who have suffered damages,” she said. NHAI official Anand Kumar, though, says that the required safety measures were taken.

Compensate people for damage

The building collapsed due to deep cutting at the base of the hills. The district administration should take strict action against the company and compensate people who have suffered damage to their houses. Rita Chauhan, gram panchayat pradhan

Himachal Tribune