Parts of the mountainside and boulders continued to fall in the Baliyanala area hereon Tuesday. Considerable portion of the mountainside already having collapsed, six of the families threatened by the landslide had shifted to the Government inter college on Monday. On Tuesday too, members of the remaining families in the area were busy taking out their possessions from the homes threatened by the continued landslide. The landslide has also caused major damage to the water supply lines due to which some of the villages have not received water supply for about a week now. The landslide has also caused cracks that have reached the play ground of the Government inter college. Movement of traffic has also been affected by the continued landslide here.
It is pertinent to mention here that according to the locals, due to land loss at Baliyanala, landslides have been taking place at varied intervals in this area for about five decades now. In the past about two dozens families living near the Raees Hotel had been relocated due to the threat from landslide. The situation has now created a threat even for those living in Harinagar, Nai Basti, Kailakhan and GIC among other localities.
Locals blame Irrigation Department
The Baliyanala Sangharsh Samiti head DN Bhatt has alleged that the irrigation department’s working is responsible for the landslide at Baliyanala. He said that more than Rs 15 crore was spent in 2005-06 on treatment work and now again about Rs 41 crore is being spent on the treatment of this nala.
Effective treatment of this vulnerable site not being achieved even after spending of considerable sums is a cause for concern.
He said that the locals are dissatisfied with the functioning of the department. The necessary results have not been achieved yet despite crores of rupees being spent here since 1975, he added.