Indian Army has developed Shimla’s Annandale ground to facilitate the launch of rescue and relief operations in case of a natural disaster in the region.
A disaster relief exercise named Mountain Rescue is being conducted in Annandale regularly, with an aim to coordinate, refine and practice drills for evacuation of affected people from disaster-hit areas, the Army’s Western Command said in a statement. Himachal Pradesh shares geographic similarity with Uttarakhand, which was wracked by flooding and landslides in June this year that took a toll of about 5,000 lives. Himachal is also prone to natural calamities like earthquake, landslides, flash floods and avalanches.
The prime chunk of the 121 bigha (one bigha is 0.4 hectare) Annandale ground, surrounded by thick forests and situated 4.5 km from Shimla’s ridge, has been under the Army’s control since World War II.