Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, July 3
A massive landslide hit the Lindidhar area near Dhalli in Shimla on Thursday, triggering the collapse of a major retaining wall at a four-lane highway construction site. The incident has endangered five homes and buried hundreds of apple trees, causing panic among residents. The affected families in Lindidhar village rushed out of their homes to escape as the retaining wall gave way and the hillside began to slide. No casualties have been reported so far, but the risk remains high due to continued soil instability.
Locals say they had been raising alarms for several days about cracks and erosion in the wall structure, but no action was taken. A large section finally crumbled, leading to further land displacement downhill today.
“The orchard trees are gone, and now our homes are in danger. We had warned the authorities, but no one listened,” said one of the affected villagers. The collapse has raised serious concerns about the safety of infrastructure projects in hilly regions, especially during the monsoon season. Officials have yet to respond to demands for relocation or compensation.
