A Year After Disaster, Broken Promises Leave 200 Kullu Families Standing on Shaky Ground

Kullu : With the arrival of the monsoon in Himachal Pradesh, old wounds have reopened for the residents of Akhara Bazar in Kullu. The memories of September 3, 2025, remain vividly painful—a day when a massive landslide claimed 10 lives and destroyed multiple homes. Eleven months later, despite the looming threat of another catastrophe, permanent safety measures are still trapped in administrative red tape.

Locals report that multiple appeals to the administration and relevant departments have yielded nothing but silence. A sum of ₹8 crore was supposedly designated for constructing a vital retaining wall to stabilize the hill. However, this critical project is bogged down in a multi-staged approval process. While 'Stage 1' clearance has been secured, the crucial 'In-Principle Approval' for 'Stage 2' is still pending, halting the release of funds.

Compounding the crisis, continuous water seepage from the upper ridges has thoroughly weakened the soil, turning the hillside into a ticking time bomb for nearly 200 families residing below.

• Broken Sewers, Empty Promises: The Human Cost

Residents feel abandoned by both local governance and their political representatives, pointing out glaring infrastructural failures:

Leaking Sewerage System: The Jal Shakti Department's own report identified overflowing sewage manholes as the root cause of land subsidence in the area. Yet, no repair work has commenced.

Evacuation Without Alternatives: Residents complain that the administration's only response to heavy rain is issuing evacuation notices. "Where are we supposed to go leaving our homes behind?" questions Neelkanth Sood, a local resident who received nothing but assurances from the regional MLA.

The Plight of the Displaced: Sudarshan Sankhyan, who lost his son and his home in last year's tragedy, shares a harrowing reality. "We are forced to live in a rented house. The administration provided rent support for the first six months, but that has stopped. Even the old debris hasn't been cleared yet."

The administration attributes the delay entirely to structural protocols rather than negligence, urging patience while admitting that actual construction cannot begin without financial sanctions.

Departmental Update:
"We have received Stage 1 approval for the construction of the safety wall in Akhara Bazar. The funds will be officially sanctioned once Stage 2 (In-Principle Approval) and subsequent Stage 3 clearances are secured. Work will commence immediately upon receiving the final green light," explained Amit Kumar, Executive Engineer, Jal Shakti Department, Kullu.

With the monsoon gaining strength daily, the gap between official procedures and ground reality leaves 200 families exposed to nature's wrath, praying that the mountain holds up until the paperwork clears.

(Report by Jitendra Verma)