Historic Ridge Ground in Shimla Develops Fresh Cracks

The historic ridge in Shimla – a centuries-old heritage of the state – has developed fresh cracks. The Meteorological Department has issued warnings of heavy rainfall in nine districts including Shimla on Monday and Tuesday, which could result in landslides across the state, and further damage the ridge that already has 4-12 m wide cracks.
The ridge has been developing cracks for a long time. During a survey conducted by the state’s municipal corporation in 2012, to understand the gravity of the situation, then Mayor Sanjay Chauhan had stated that there were cracks of about 4-12 m width on the ridge. The survey showed this was because a part of the ridge was built on a ‘muck-dumping’ site, and the rest was built on solid rock. 

Shimla city has a water supply tank under the ridge ground which supplies water to almost 70 per cent of the city. In the same survey, the authorities, during the routine cleaning of the water tank beneath the ground, found cracks in it, which raised concerns among the authorities, as it posed a threat to Shimla’s entire North Zone, which can get devastated if that part of the ridge ground were to get damaged. The survey also declared remaining portion of the ridge ground a “sinking zone”.

Recently, the cracks on the historic ridge ground are reported to have been becoming wider. There are 2-3 inch thick fresh cracks on the ridge. This can rake the ridge at any time, destroying the entire Tibetan market, situated below the ridge.

Chauhan told Newsclick, “Our administration had devised a meticulous plan to cope with the situation. After our elaborate survey in 2012, we had put forward a proposal in front of the state government, asking them to sanction a restoration project that would cost approximately 30 crores. The municipal corporation was ready to spend that much. But, it was never sanctioned.”

According to Chauhan, the said proposal included building a green area on the patch which contained “muck” by adding fertilizers to fill the gaps and treat the muck beneath as adding cement to fill the gaps would not solve this perennial problem. Along with the green area, which would serve as a scenic as well as a recreational place for visitors, the proposal also carried a plan to build a shopping complex on the solid area which could serve as an economic asset to the corporation. They had also requested the state government to ban any sort of rallies and functions from taking place on the ridge to avoid causing distress to the area, along with prohibiting any sort of VIP vehicular movement and erection of more statues. The ridge already receives a massive footfall of tourists. 

With fresh cracks visible on the ridge, local residents have raised concerns about the current administration not taking efficient steps to control the situation. “The current administration has not fully understood the gravity of the situation. By merely putting barricades in place of cracks, the larger issue will not be resolved and with the weather forecast of heavy rainfall in the coming two-three days, it will cause massive destruction. No effort is being made to save the ridge from collapsing. One part of the ridge has gone down to about one foot,” a local resident told Newsclick. 

Prominent landmarks on the ridge include a neo-gothic structure of a church from 1844, and a Tudorbethan styled library built in 1910. along with three statues on the ridge; that of Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, and Dr YS Parmar, the first chief minister of Himachal Pradesh.

Previous administration’s proposal is still pending before the state government, and is in the archives of the municipal corporation.

Following the recent developments, Mayor Kusum Sadret has issued a statement on Monday evening, saying, “Heavy rains have resulted in landslides in the city. There are also quite visible cracks on the ridge. Instructions have been issued to the corporation authorities to close the cracks. As soon as the weather is clear, the work to repair it will be started.”