Tunnel Blasting Leaves Families Homeless in Shimla's Chalaunthi

Shimla: Around 15 families spent Friday night shivering on the streets after being evacuated from a multi-story building, after cracks developed following blasting work for a four-lane tunnel in Chalaunthi near Shimla in Himachal Pradesh.

A six-story residential building developed large cracks due to the underground blasting, making it unsafe for residents. Besides homes, the Sanjauli-Dhalli bypass road also showed signs of damage, after which police closed it and allowed only light vehicles on a one-way route.

"We heard a loud blast at night and had to leave everything behind," said one affected resident. "We built these houses with our life savings. The company knew about the small cracks three days ago, but did nothing."

Kitchen utensils belonging to the families on the street (ETV Bharat)

A nearby hotel hosting tourists was also evacuated late Friday night. Residents complained that despite months of nighttime blasting causing their houses to shake, no officials from the construction company checked on their safety.

Himachal Pradesh's Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh visited the site and assured families of help. "We're preparing a list of all affected families and have filed complaints with the Union Minister and NHAI," he said.

Deputy Commissioner Anupam Kashyap also inspected the damage and instructed NHAI to provide immediate compensation. He formed a committee led by the Rural Shimla SDM to assess the situation. The displaced families were moved to Kisan Bhawan for temporary shelter.

Additional District Magistrate Pankaj Sharma said officials are still gathering information about the extent of the danger. However, residents remain anxious as more houses show signs of structural damage. "We don't have anywhere safe to go," said another local resident. "The ground keeps making strange sounds, and we're terrified our homes will collapse any moment.

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