Munish Sood
MANDI:
A major landslide has once again struck Ner and Kudni villages under Nergharwasda panchayat of Jogindernagar in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, bringing devastation to nearly 20 families. Ten houses were completely destroyed and adjoining homes are under severe threat. At least 22 residents had to be evacuated and shifted to safer shelters.
This is not the first such incident in the region. For the past two to three years, continuous land movement has forced villagers to live under constant fear. Families who spent decades building their homes are now repeatedly compelled to abandon them.
Zila Parishad member Vijay Bhatia, who visited the site, expressed deep concern. “The pain and helplessness of these families cannot be expressed in words. They have been forced to leave behind everything they built over a lifetime. I strongly urge the Himachal Pradesh government to move beyond short-term relief and provide a permanent solution — be it through safe resettlement, financial assistance to rebuild or a scientific survey to prevent such disasters in the future,” he said.
Local businessman Ashwani Soni, who runs Hotel Sony Enclave in Jogindernagar, extended support by offering his property as a temporary refuge. “These families should not feel abandoned at such a time. Our hotel doors are open for all the evacuated villagers until the administration can provide them a safe alternative,” he assured.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate Manish Chaudhary confirmed the scale of the disaster and ongoing relief measures. “All 22 people residing in the houses have been safely evacuated in advance and shifted to safer places where food and shelter are being provided. Ten houses are completely damaged, while adjoining homes under threat have also been evacuated. The slide is still continuing, and more damage is possible if this persistent weather condition continues,” he said, adding that a revenue team will soon assess the losses. “Fortunately, no loss of life has been reported so far,” he noted.
Bhatia stressed that this is not merely about distributing relief but about securing a dignified future for affected families. “It is the government’s responsibility to give them a life free from fear and ensure their generations are not uprooted again and again,” he said.
